Meetings Today BlogIndustry experts discuss a variety of topics specific to the meetings and events industry.https://www.meetingstoday.com/blogWhere Life, Death, Grief and Hospitality Connecthttps://www.meetingstoday.com/blog/postid/539/where-life-death-grief-and-hospitality-connectCareer Advice,Education,Future Forecasting,Hospitality,HotelsFri, 03 May 2019 16:09:19 GMT<p>Now or next week, at a meeting or event where we are to network and enjoy ourselves&mdash;or perhaps in your office&mdash;someone, maybe you, are or will be grieving.</p>
<p>Perhaps you have been asked, as I was, to help plan a life celebration for a co-worker or a friend or a family member.</p>
<p>Because sometimes, just as we are asked to help plan joyous events, we are asked&mdash;like Alison Bossert&nbsp;<strong>(<a href="https://meetingstoday.com/magazines/article-details/articleid/33482/title/alison-bossert-qa-end-life-event-planner" target="_blank">interviewed here</a>)</strong>&mdash;to help with end-of-life events.</p>
<p>Just like life cycles, thinking for <a href="http://www.meetingstoday.com/newsletters/friday_with_joan/2019_05_03.html" target="_blank"><strong>Friday With Joan</strong></a> often goes in unplanned directions. This is part one of a two-part series of blog posts, about where hospitality and death intersect.</p>
<p>The second of two blog posts&mdash;planned for Friday, May 17, 2019, barring any unexpected life events&mdash;will address how our industry, and one school, is going to help prepare a new generation of industry professionals to work on the one life event that is inevitable: Death.</p>
<h2>A Lack of Time to Grieve</h2>
<p>For years, I&rsquo;ve researched bereavement policies. It might be because the day after my father (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honorifics_for_the_dead_in_Judaism" target="_blank"><strong>z&rdquo;l</strong></a>) died, I left on a site inspection trip with a client.</p>
<p>My company was new; my client was important; there was to be no service or sitting shiva for my father. &nbsp;It made sense at the time.</p>
<p>Since then, my mom (z&rdquo;l) and many family and friends died.</p>
<p>I&rsquo;ve been an observer to, and comforter of, friends, family and colleagues as they managed through death and the rituals associated with those deaths. I&rsquo;ve seen the time that wasn&rsquo;t given for grieving including the stinginess of bereavement policies.</p>
<p>When three friends all unexpectedly died this spring, I felt as if I&rsquo;d been repeatedly punched in the gut. Even though I&rsquo;m self-employed and could, theoretically, take time off to grieve, I really couldn&rsquo;t. Clients&rsquo; work, like one&rsquo;s job, takes precedence too often.</p>
<h2>Why Do We Hesitate on Planning for Death?</h2>
<p>As I plan a life celebration for one of those friends, it&rsquo;s an opportunity to look at life-cycle events and their impact on each of us as individuals and at our industry and what we can do to learn more and help others&mdash;as friends, family and professionals.</p>
<p>There are many people who could benefit from our expertise.</p>
<p>The upcoming May 17th blog will explore more life-cycle events, some new, that require thoughtful planning and execution. In fact, we might stop poo-pooing the term &ldquo;party planner&rdquo; since many life events are in fact celebratory parties!</p>
<p>We often do little planning for&mdash;In fact, are uncomfortable discussing&mdash;how we will be remembered, our legacy, how we will or will not provide a format for laughter and tears. In my family, even the word <em>death</em> usually carries &ldquo;&lt;spit spit&gt;&rdquo; to ward off negative spirits. Or the word is whispered because if it&rsquo;s not said out loud, we can pretend it won&rsquo;t happen.</p>
<p>I&rsquo;ve always wondered why, if death is a part of life and inevitable, we don&rsquo;t plan the event. We plan events around birthdays and weddings&mdash;and even divorces&mdash;but too few have or share plans for their deaths.</p>
<p>These articles may help us understand why we don&rsquo;t talk about death and should:</p>
<ul>
<li>&ldquo;<a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2018/03/26/596442228/why-not-talk-about-death" target="_blank"><strong>Why not talk about death?</strong></a>&rdquo; (via NPR)</li>
<li>&ldquo;<a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/handy-hints-humans/201703/we-need-talk-about-death" target="_blank"><strong>We need to talk about death</strong></a>&rdquo; (via <em>Psychology Today</em>)</li>
</ul>
<p>Neither of my parents wanted any service or memorial.</p>
<h2>The Ways in Which We Choose to Grieve</h2>
<p>In order to grieve with others, I asked friends to <a href="https://www.shiva.com/learning-center/understanding/how-shiva-observed/" target="_blank"><strong>sit shiva</strong></a> for an evening with me after my Dad died. Though most in attendance didn&rsquo;t know my father, it was comforting and funny to tell stories about his life including his behaviors at tradeshows.</p>
<p>One of my favorite stories, before mobile phones, was when he used a fake phone on a cord in his pocket and a ringer to pretend to get calls in elevators and on the show floor!</p>
<p>For years my mother said she wanted to have, before she died, a Chinese dinner for 12 just for herself. She never did.</p>
<p>With friends&rsquo; help, we gathered and had a superb Chinese dinner for 12 and toasted my mother. All in attendance had met Mom some years before and could tell stories.</p>
<p>Later, in my hometown, family and friends gathered over lunch to remember Mom. It helped me and others grieve; laughter mixed with tears of loss allowed us to celebrate her life.</p>
<h2>Celebration-of-Life Planning Is Quite Glamorous</h2>
<p>When I read <a href="https://flipboard.com/@WashPost/the-funeral-as-we-know-it-is-becoming-a-relic-%E2%80%94-just-in-time-for-a-death-boom/f-786d48e6e1/washingtonpost.com" target="_blank"><strong>this <em>Washington Post </em>article</strong></a> about celebration-of-life planner Alison Bossert, it led to learning of a new program in hospitality, about which I&rsquo;ll say more here on May 17.</p>
<p>After reading the <em>Washington Post&nbsp;</em>article, I reached out to Alison of <a href="https://www.finalbowproductions.net/" target="_blank"><strong>Final Bow Productions</strong></a> and&nbsp;we connected for a discussion. I am grateful for our long conversation.</p>
<p>Her passion for and understanding of what we don&rsquo;t do and need to do led me to wonder why those in our industry are not better trained for&nbsp;celebration-of-life events and why more aren&rsquo;t engaged in helping others at one of the most difficult times of their lives.</p>
<p>Celebration-of-life or end-of-life events can have all the glamour many in the industry crave when they say they want to be in events.</p>
<p>You&rsquo;ll see that from <a href="https://meetingstoday.com/magazines/article-details/articleid/33481/title/life-lessons-end-life-event-planner" target="_blank"><strong>my notes about Alison</strong></a> and <a href="https://meetingstoday.com/magazines/article-details/articleid/33482/title/alison-bossert-qa-end-life-event-planner" target="_blank"><strong>interview with her</strong></a>. So, let&rsquo;s talk about it. Read the notes from the interview with Alison&nbsp;and her own words.</p>
<p>Read more about <a href="https://meetingstoday.com/magazines/article-details/articleid/33480/title/grief-bereavement-policies-three-siblings-reflections" target="_blank"><strong>bereavement policies and the words of surviving family</strong></a> about how they are coping. Return to the <a href="https://meetingstoday.com/blog" target="_blank"><strong>Meetings Today Blog</strong></a> to read the upcoming May 17 post about a new program and what I think our industry needs to help us learn more. Life and events are far beyond weddings and conferences. Let&rsquo;s broaden our thinking and training.</p>
<h2>A Special Dedication</h2>
<p><em>This newsletter and blog post are dedicated to three friends&mdash;Bev, Chris, and Meredith&mdash;all of whom died within 10 days of each other this spring.</em></p>
<p><em>And it is dedicated to </em><a href="https://www.bizbash.com/about-us" target="_blank"><strong><em>BizBash&rsquo;s David Adler</em></strong></a><em> whose father, Warren Adler, also died.</em></p>
<p><em>I am indebted to each of the friends and those who loved them for their input and to you, David, for the foresight to ask your father the questions too many of us have no answers to and wish we did for those who have left this life.</em></p>
<p><em>I hope others will take your example and record the conversations before it&rsquo;s too late. Yours, </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oq2ru2XMsYs" target="_blank"><strong><em>this one from the funeral</em></strong></a><em> and </em><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/then-an-oral-memoir-of-a-writers-life/id1387637004" target="_blank"><strong><em>this podcast</em></strong></a><em> are a gift and a guide to us all.</em></p>
<p><strong>Comment below or if you&rsquo;d prefer your comments posted unattributed, please email them to me at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:FridayWithJoan@aol.com?subject=FWJ%20May%202019">FridayWithJoan@aol.com</a>&nbsp;and I&rsquo;ll post without your name or identifiers.</strong></p>
<p><em>Editor&rsquo;s Note: The views expressed by contributing bloggers are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Meetings Today or its parent company.</em></p>
<p><strong>Related Reading From the May 2019&nbsp;Edition of Friday With Joan</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://meetingstoday.com/magazines/article-details/articleid/33482/title/alison-bossert-qa-end-life-event-planner" target="_blank"><strong>Q&amp;A With End-of-Life Event Planner Alison Bossert</strong></a></li>
<li><strong><a href="https://meetingstoday.com/magazines/article-details/articleid/33481/title/life-lessons-end-life-event-planner" target="_blank">Life Lessons From an End-of-Life Event Planner</a></strong></li>
<li><a href="https://meetingstoday.com/magazines/article-details/articleid/33480/title/grief-bereavement-policies-three-siblings-reflections" target="_blank"><strong>Three Siblings Reflect on Grief and Bereavement Policies</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="https://forms.gle/5QpdvXXAVFa3oq8CA" target="_blank"><strong>What&#39;s Your Take? May 2019 FWJ Poll</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.meetingstoday.com/newsletters/friday_with_joan/2019_05_03.html" target="_blank">Click here to view additional content in the 05.03.19 Friday With Joan newsletter.</a></strong></p>
<p><strong>Posted by Joan L. Eisenstodt</strong></p>
<div class="author-section">
<p><img alt="Joan Eisenstodt Headshot" src="/Portals/0/images/2018/Friday_With_Joan/Joan_Eisenstodt_Author_Bio_200.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 200px;" title="Joan Eisenstodt Headshot" /></p>
<p><strong>Follow Joan on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/joaneisenstodt" target="_blank">@joaneisenstodt</a></strong></p>
</div>
539'Tis the Season: Ethics of Gifting & Entertaininghttps://www.meetingstoday.com/blog/postid/532/tis-the-season-ethics-of-gifting-entertainingHospitality,Incentives,legal,LiabilityFri, 07 Dec 2018 17:10:25 GMT<p><strong>Prologue: </strong>Picture this &hellip; it&rsquo;s the season of gift giving <em>and</em> of year-end hotel contract deadlines. I&rsquo;m working feverishly to finish a number of complex hotel contracts for clients before everyone takes time off for the Christmas holidays. My spouse brings a box from our mail room to my home office.</p>
<p>I ask, as I continue to write contract provisions, from whom the box was sent, thinking it must be from a family member or friend. When the sender is mentioned&mdash;a salesperson with whom we are in difficult (politely said!) negotiations&mdash;I loudly say &ldquo;DROP IT!&rdquo;*</p>
<p>In one of my favorite films, <em><strong><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defending_Your_Life" target="_blank">Defending Your Life</a></strong></em>, we see that after death, one&rsquo;s &lsquo;first stop&rdquo; is a place that looks remarkably like Epcot Center. There, we are tasked with watching videos of our lives and &ldquo;defending&rdquo; our every action. It has a wonderfully funny tie-in to our industry with scenes about who gets the &ldquo;better&rdquo; hotels with the &ldquo;better&rdquo; turn-down amenities as a result of what appears from our lives. Chuckling as I write this&mdash;thinking not unlike who gets the upgrades in real life, huh?</p>
<p>The film is amusing, down-right funny (think whether you want to be seen by important people as you slurp your linguini in a restaurant) thoughtful and insightful.</p>
<p>Differently staged and with similar intent, is <em><strong><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Good_Life_(1975_TV_series)" target="_blank">The Good Life</a></strong></em>, a TV production that so fascinated me, I now have a desire to recommend viewing episodes in preparation for ethics discussions in classes I teach and programs I facilitate. Is there a &ldquo;good&rdquo; place or a &ldquo;bad&rdquo; place after we die? Is it like Epcot Center? I don&rsquo;t know. I do know that my actions after receiving the box would have to be defended.</p>
<p>The point? Many of you will give or receive gifts or entertain or be entertained by those with whom you are doing business, have done business, referred business or one day may do business. What goes into your thinking as you chose to whom to give or entertain, and for the recipients, to accept a gift or invitation or not?</p>
<p>How much would the potential of &ldquo;defending&rdquo; your actions&mdash;now, to an ethics committee or an HR or other officials in your company or professional organization&mdash;play in your choice of what and how much you gift to, or accept from, someone?</p>
<p><strong>Research:</strong> In preparation to write the <strong><a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/blog/postid/530/safety-and-inclusion-tips-for-meetings-in-troubling-times" target="_blank">initial blog post in the October 2018 newsletter</a></strong> and for this post you&rsquo;re reading, I did extensive new research: conversations with current and former hotel executives, industry attorneys, and <strong><a href="https://www.eventscouncil.org/" target="_blank">EIC</a></strong> and EIC-member organizations&rsquo; representatives; reading articles about our industry&rsquo;s and others&rsquo; ethics practices; reading hotel companies&rsquo; ethics policies [highly recommend and easily found with a search**]; and asking, via social media for those interested in responding to questions about industry ethics to contact me. A compilation of those responses<strong> <a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/magazines/article-details/articleid/32996/title/ethics-what-your-meetings-colleagues-say" target="_blank">can be found here</a></strong>.</p>
<p>I also asked questions of three industry recruiters&mdash;MeetingJobs, Searchwide, and Vetted Solutions. The <strong><a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/magazines/article-details/articleid/32993/title/qa-ethics-job-interviews" target="_blank">responses from their CEOs are in this section</a></strong> of the December 2018 Friday With Joan newsletter.</p>
<p><strong>Preview:</strong> I was &hellip; well, read it and you might figure out my response after reading on.</p>
<p>And once read, please <a href="https://goo.gl/forms/ssAqyc9z2UQZtBrv1" target="_blank"><strong>answer the Friday With Joan poll questions</strong></a>.</p>
<p><strong>Analysis:</strong> EIC, our industry&rsquo;s umbrella organization, was unable to tell me which of its members has an enforceable code of ethics and/or conduct. In my research I learned that of those who do, two are <strong><a href="https://www.nsaspeaker.org/code-of-ethics/" target="_blank">NSA</a></strong> and <strong><a href="https://www.nace.net/codeofethics" target="_blank">NACE</a></strong>. I know that MPI, PCMA, and ASAE do not have enforceable codes, although MPI did at one time. ASAE has a separate, enforceable code for those who have achieved their CAE&mdash;Certified Association Executive&mdash;designation; the code for all other members is aspirational.</p>
<p>Those who have achieved their CMP&mdash;Certified Meeting Professional&mdash;are <strong><a href="https://www.eventscouncil.org/CMP/About-CMP/CMP-Ethics" target="_blank">bound by this code</a></strong>, which is worded much like the codes of many of the EIC organizations that have codes of conduct or ethics.</p>
<p>(Use <strong><a href="https://www.eventscouncil.org/About-Us/Our-Members" target="_blank">this link to EIC members</a></strong>; go to their sites to read the codes. Even if you are not a member of one of these organizations, it is likely you will do business with someone who is).</p>
<p>I verified with colleagues with whom I served on the then-CLC Board some years ago that our umbrella organization formerly required an enforceable code of ethics to be an EIC member. Now, it is asked that a code be submitted with the membership application, but it is not required for membership.</p>
<p>I confirmed that HSMAI, for example, does not have a code of conduct or ethics.</p>
<p>I imagine others do not as well.</p>
<p>Of those with enforceable codes, I was told the main charge of an ethics violation is the use of a certification when it has not been earned or renewed.</p>
<p>This was believed, by those with whom I spoke, to be a belief that few are violating the codes.</p>
<p>And now, &lsquo;tis the season of gifts and entertainment. Many feel valued if they receive a gift or an invitation. Those on the receiving end believe it is perhaps their due for the hard work they have performed. Perhaps the invitation to an event is viewed as an opportunity to network even if they have no business to offer; the receipt of a gift, seen as one of friendship beyond the business relationship.</p>
<p>How do we decide when it&rsquo;s appropriate to offer and accept gifts or invitations? And more, when is it appropriate to flaunt these gifts and entertainment on social media for all to see and perhaps question if a code of ethics&mdash;that of an employer or industry association&mdash;has been violated?</p>
<p>During this season of giving, it is also the season of year-end business and for some independent meeting planners and others who work for commissions, a season of meeting a deadline <strong><a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/magazines/article-details/articleid/32929/title/hyatt-commission-cuts-meetings-events" target="_blank">before commissions are lowered by some hotel companies</a></strong>. To that, many are posting that they are going around the &ldquo;system&rdquo; and finding ways to receive what they believe is their &ldquo;due&rdquo;&mdash;a commission amount that is greater than that announced by hotel companies. More details <strong><a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/newsevents/industrynews/industrynewsdetails/articleid/31950/title/meeting-planners-unite-to-form-indie-association" target="_blank">here</a></strong> and <strong><a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/newsevents/industrynews/industrynewsdetails/articleid/31915/title/spin-demands-equal-commissions-in-marriott-petition" target="_blank">here</a></strong>.</p>
<p>In my research again, I was told by many current and former hoteliers and others that this practice will face consequences. This was stated to me, and I&rsquo;ve agreed to, as I do with many, keep the confidence of the person who provided this input:</p>
<p>&ldquo;By encouraging hotels to breach the requirement that they adhere to brand standards, or to hide the payment in some fashion to deceive, planners need to evaluate whether they could potentially be liable for interfering with the contract or if they are perpetrating some kind of fraud. Even more disturbing however is that this takes the profession back not just a step, but a mile.</p>
<p>&ldquo;It seems a lot like the concepts that planners finally overcame when some were asking for blind commissions. If the planners are handling the commission in this fashion, they need to be mindful that are acting on behalf of the group [for whom they are doing business].</p>
<p>&ldquo;They need to be concerned about this being a potential violation of the group&rsquo;s code of ethics.&rdquo;</p>
<p>And as noted above, it may also be a violation of the brand&rsquo;s code of ethics.</p>
<p>From everything I see and hear, from the justifications in classes and other conversations and those in social media, and from the many reports in the news and the investigation of us by the U.S. Congress, I think we are moving into even more dangerous territory in and outside of our industry. Many find ways to justify their actions in the request for and acceptance of gifts, perks, and entertainment: we&rsquo;re underpaid, under-appreciated, work long hours, need to network to find a new job, etc.</p>
<p><strong>Suggested Actions to Help Avoid Unethical Gifting Situations:</strong></p>
<ol>
<li>Read your employer&rsquo;s or client&rsquo;s or business partners&rsquo; code of ethics.</li>
<li>Share your code with those with whom you are doing business.</li>
<li>Agree at the start of a business relationship, even one that has a long-friendship behind it or becomes a friendship, by what ethics you will together abide.</li>
<li>Determine how your codes guide you for tradeshow drawings, invitations to events, giving and receiving gifts and attending hosted-buyer events. If the codes are not that specific, discuss how they can be.</li>
<li>Provide examples in the comments or to me at <strong><a href="mailto:FridayWithJoan@aol.com">FridayWithJoan@aol.com</a></strong> for posting without attribution examples of how we, as an industry, are ethical or how we can be more so. Share the ways we&nbsp;can improve together.</li>
</ol>
<p>May the light of this season and the hope of the new year bring our industry and us individually to new thinking about how we do business and how we want to be seen.</p>
<p><strong>*You wanted to know what happened, right? I called the client immediately and was told that they too had received a box.</strong></p>
<p><strong>Neither of us had opened it. I asked what we should do.</strong></p>
<p><strong>It was agreed I&rsquo;d call the salesperson and say that we could not accept the gifts.</strong></p>
<p><strong>I was told that these were not practical to return. The client agreed that they would use them in an office gifting event and that I could dispose of the gift by donating it.&nbsp; </strong></p>
<p><strong>**You will find, in your search, codes for how hotel companies deal with their own vendors, customers and staff. The codes are enlightening.</strong></p>
<p><em>Editor&rsquo;s Note: The views expressed by contributing bloggers are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Meetings Today or its parent company.</em></p>
<p><strong>Related Reading From the December 2018 Edition of Friday With Joan</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/magazines/article-details/articleid/32993/title/qa-ethics-job-interviews" target="_blank"><strong>Q&amp;A: Recruiters Talk Ethics and Job Interviews</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/magazines/article-details/articleid/32996/title/ethics-what-your-meetings-colleagues-say" target="_blank"><strong>Ethics: What Your Meetings Colleagues Say</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="https://goo.gl/forms/g7QAnPdBOHkf4tfh2" target="_blank"><strong>What&#39;s Your Take? December 2018 Ethics Survey</strong></a></li>
<li><strong>Related FWJ Blog Post and Part I of Our Conversation on Ethics:<br />
<a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/blog/postid/529/our-industrys-reputation-and-yours-are-at-stake-help-is-needed" target="_blank">Our Industry&#39;s Reputation and Yours Are at Stake -- Help Is Needed!</a></strong></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Click here to view additional content in <a href="http://www.meetingstoday.com/newsletters/friday_with_joan/2018_12_07.html" target="_blank">the 12.07.18&nbsp;Friday With Joan newsletter</a>.</strong></p>
<div class="author-section">
<p><strong>Posted by Joan L. Eisenstodt</strong></p>
<p><img alt="Joan Eisenstodt Headshot" src="/Portals/0/images/2018/Friday_With_Joan/Joan_Eisenstodt_Author_Bio_200.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 200px;" title="Joan Eisenstodt Headshot" /></p>
<p><strong>Follow Joan on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/joaneisenstodt" target="_blank">@joaneisenstodt</a></strong></p>
</div>
532Safety and Inclusion Tips for Meetings in Troubling Timeshttps://www.meetingstoday.com/blog/postid/530/safety-and-inclusion-tips-for-meetings-in-troubling-timesCSR,Diversity & Inclusion,Hospitality,Risk Management/Contingency PlanningFri, 02 Nov 2018 15:37:00 GMT<p>The last few weeks have been especially difficult.</p>
<p>It&rsquo;s not just client deadlines, illnesses of those I love, and the normal stress of a year coming to an end. It&rsquo;s the horrific acts of hate in the United States and around the world.</p>
<p>You, before reading on, want to know what this has to do with our industry and your work?</p>
<p>Stay with me, please. I&rsquo;ll show you.</p>
<p>It&rsquo;s difficult to know where to begin with what has caused so many of us to grieve and to, as one colleague said, know how to direct sadness and rage.</p>
<p>I am so grateful to so many people who have reached out to me because I am Jewish in the belief that the terrorism at The Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh had caused me the most pain.</p>
<p>It was one of the many &ldquo;final straws&rdquo; in the last few weeks. It piled on to the items that follow and the many that preceded that, in my lifetime and long before, known because history taught us.</p>
<p><strong>In these last weeks, we&rsquo;ve experienced or heard more about:</strong></p>
<p>The <strong><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/oct/25/famine-in-yemen-could-become-one-of-worst-in-living-memory-un-says" target="_blank">starvation in Yemen</a></strong>, reported as potentially the worst incidence of starvation in history.</p>
<p>The death of Jamal Khashoggi and <strong><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/oct/29/saudi-prosecutor-saud-al-mojeb-arrives-in-turkey-to-assist-with-jamal-khashoggi-inquiry" target="_blank">the demand for knowledge of what happened</a></strong> echoed from many corners of the world, its implications weighing greatly on relationships among countries and on the need for a free press.</p>
<p>Pipe bombs targeting people <strong><a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/cesar-sayoc-court-live-pipe-bomb-cnn-trump-bomber-democrat-package-new-york-update-latest-a8606951.html" target="_blank">because of their views</a></strong>. Though a suspect was in custody, one more pipe bomb was found. One can hope there are no more from him and that &ldquo;copycat&rdquo; acts will not follow. I fear they will.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p>Murdered&mdash;<strong><a href="http://time.com/5436559/kentucky-grocery-store-shooting-hate-crime/" target="_blank">two African American grandparents</a></strong>, out shopping with their grandson in Kentucky because someone who had expressed hate on social media couldn&rsquo;t get into a church to murder more. It might have been more like <strong><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charleston_church_shooting" target="_blank">the 2015 massacre at Mother Emanuel AME Church</a></strong> in Charleston, S.C., the victims for whom I still mourn.</p>
<p>The caravan of people&mdash;a caravan for safety in numbers, reminiscent of the scenes from &ldquo;<strong><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWiRetxeviw" target="_blank">Fiddler on the Roof</a></strong>&rdquo; of those escaping pogroms in Russia, <strong><a href="https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/immigration/2018/10/28/who-organized-migrant-caravan-headed-united-states/1804008002/" target="_blank">escaping hate and violence in Central America</a></strong> leaving all they know and family and friends continued on to the United States where they hoped we might understand their needs and ours and accept their pleas for asylum.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The U.S. Government spoke of <strong><a href="https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2018/10/27/transgender-utahns-rally/" target="_blank">&ldquo;erasing&rdquo; people who are transgender</a></strong>, throwing many, including some of our friends and families, into panic and many of us into action because we must support those we love.</p>
<p>Matthew Shepard&rsquo;s ashes <strong><a href="https://www.voanews.com/a/ashes-of-lgbtq-movement-symbol-matthew-shepard-laid-to-rest/4630990.html" target="_blank">were interred at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C</a></strong><strong>.</strong>, a place that is far from his parents&rsquo; Wyoming home but safe from haters who, like those who killed him because of his sexual orientation, might cause harm to any memorial there to honor his life.</p>
<p>Then, on Saturday, October 27, 2018, <strong><a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/10/28/pittsburgh-shooting-victims-mostly-were-elderly-worshippers/1791727002/" target="_blank">the murders at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh</a></strong>, during Shabbat services, committed in the name of hatred of Jewish people and of <strong><a href="https://www.hias.org/" target="_blank">HIAS</a></strong>, an organization that, since the 1800s, has helped refugees of all kinds settle in the United States where they hoped to be safe.</p>
<p>Quoted in <em>The New York Times</em> and other news sources, &ldquo;The suspect in Pittsburgh posted a message on social media about the [Central American] caravan shortly before the massacre, accusing Jews of bringing in &lsquo;invaders&rsquo; that were killing his people.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Interestingly, the congregation at Tree of Life were preparing to read from the Torah that morning how Abraham and Sarah opened their tent and welcomed strangers, just as the Jewish community has done for millennia since and for which George Soros, a target of a pipe bomb, himself a Holocaust Survivor, has been criticized for funding (he hasn&rsquo;t) the caravan. <strong>[</strong><strong><a href="https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/soros-caravan-refugees/" target="_blank">Check snopes.com for more</a></strong><strong>]</strong>.</p>
<p>There&rsquo;s much more and there is much that isn&rsquo;t new news&mdash;African Americans and Latinos are being targeted for being. Literally. <strong><a href="https://www.metrotimes.com/table-and-bar/archives/2018/10/18/detroit-judge-tosses-gardening-while-black-case-brought-by-three-white-women" target="_blank">This story from Detroit</a></strong> about a man and his garden is indicative of hate and distrust of others.</p>
<p>Muslims and Sikhs have been targeted for years and ever-more after 9/11 and after the 2016 election when a &ldquo;Muslim ban&rdquo; has kept people from traveling to be with their families.</p>
<p>This <strong><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/aug/08/sikhs-targeted-anti-muslim-extremists" target="_blank">Guardian article</a></strong>, from 2012, is as true today as it was then.</p>
<p>Maybe among your colleagues, friends and family none of these instances had any impact.</p>
<p>Not so for me or my family and friends. My Facebook pages were filled with memorials, notices of how to <strong><a href="https://www.shiva.com/learning-center/sitting-shiva/" target="_blank">sit shiva</a></strong> to mourn and honor the Tree of Life victims.</p>
<p><strong>What does this all have to do with the hospitality industry?</strong></p>
<h2>Safety and Inclusion Tips for Meetings and Events</h2>
<p>I&rsquo;ve written and spoken often that as a child I believed that&mdash;because my maternal grandfather (<strong><a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Z%22L" target="_blank">z&rdquo;l</a></strong>), a Russian immigrant, resembled Nikita Khrushchev&mdash;I was sure if I, at 12, could only talk with Mr. Khrushchev, we could make world peace.</p>
<p>I was called a &ldquo;Christ-killer&rdquo; on the playground of the Ohio public school I attended. In my adult years, I heard &ldquo;Jew you down,&rdquo; a bigoted slur as horrific as using the &ldquo;N&rdquo; word, in too-many-to-name negotiations with hotel salespeople.</p>
<p>I&rsquo;ve heard asked by others &ldquo;why do &lsquo;they&rsquo; (African Americans, Latinos, LGBTQ and others) need their own organizations&rdquo; in our industry with no understanding of what it&rsquo;s like to not be accepted and included by the majority of the &ldquo;mainstream&rdquo; industry organizations.</p>
<p>I&rsquo;ve repeatedly called out industry organizations and supplier partners who hold events over some of the holiest days in Judaism and other non-Christian religions believing it&rsquo;s perfectly appropriate though they would never hold events on Easter or Christmas.</p>
<p>In the codes of ethics of many EIC member organizations for those that have them or sometimes in their mission statements if an ethics code does not exist, is language similar to that in MPI&rsquo;s Principles of Professionalism: &ldquo;Embrace and foster an inclusive business climate of respect for all peoples regardless of national origin, race, religion, sex, marital status, age, sexual orientation, physical or mental impairment.&rdquo; [I&rsquo;d prefer that the word &ldquo;impairment&rdquo; be changed; <strong><a href="In%20the%20codes%20of%20ethics%20of%20many%20EIC%20member%20organizations%20for%20those%20that%20have%20them%20or%20sometimes%20in%20their%20mission%20statements%20if%20an%20ethics%20code%20does%20not%20exist,%20is%20language%20similar%20to%20that%20in%20MPI’s%20Principles%20of%20Professionalism:%20Embrace%20and%20foster%20an%20inclusive%20business%20climate%20of%20respect%20for%20all%20peoples%20regardless%20of%20national%20origin,%20race,%20religion,%20sex,%20marital%20status,%20age,%20sexual%20orientation,%20physical%20or%20mental%20impairment.%5bI’d%20prefer%20that%20the%20word%20‘impairment’%20be%20changed;%20it%20is%20inappropriate.%20http:/ncdj.org/style-guide/%20and%20http:/www.pediatrics.emory.edu/divisions/neonatology/dpc/Impairment%20MX.html%20%5d" target="_blank">it is inappropriate</a></strong>].</p>
<p>Read more on the use of impairment, disability and handicap <strong><a href="http://www.pediatrics.emory.edu/divisions/neonatology/dpc/Impairment%20MX.html" target="_blank">here</a></strong>.</p>
<p>Diversity and inclusion are again topics of interest in the hospitality industry and should be in the companies and organizations for whom you work and are your clients.</p>
<p><strong>1. Consider the demographics</strong> <strong>of those who will participate in or exhibit at your meetings</strong> and what days may be important to them and those in their lives, and over what dates having a meeting may pose a religious or other similar conflict. (Read more <strong><a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/magazines/article-details/articleid/32064/title/industry-leaders-talk-diversity-and-inclusion" target="_blank">here in a previous Friday With Joan article</a></strong>).</p>
<p><strong>2. Advise clients, after consulting calendars, of holidays</strong>&mdash;religious, federal, local&mdash;that fall over those great dates with great rates you are offering. Ensure there is knowledge of the times being booked.</p>
<p><strong>3. Be aware of laws that are being considered and the impact they may have on groups</strong> considering your destination. We&rsquo;ve written about that <strong><a href="http://www.meetingstoday.com/newsletters/friday_with_joan/2017_07_07.html" target="_blank">here</a></strong> and <strong><a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/blog/postid/53/meetings-laws-and-people-oh-my" target="_blank">here</a></strong>.</p>
<p><strong>4. If you must have meetings over holidays</strong> <strong>that impact travel, meals, or entertainment</strong>, consider the impact on those who will attend and the accommodations you can make.</p>
<p>Or consider how to expose others to the practices of others. In <a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/magazines/article-details/articleid/32896/title/ruminations-tree-of-life-kentucky-killings" target="_blank"><strong>our November 2018 Friday With Joan sidebar</strong></a>, Jordan Rudner provides a great idea for meetings often held in the Spring.</p>
<p><strong>5. Choose images carefully to market meetings.</strong> Show the diversity you have and want to attract.</p>
<h2>Inclusion Tips When Convening and Educating</h2>
<p>I still believe &ldquo;if we all could just talk or learn about each other&mdash;we could perhaps figure this out&rdquo; is not necessarily realistic. A colleague with a different point of view of a candidate went to a rally to engage with those who didn&rsquo;t believe as she did. She is not sure anyone&rsquo;s mind was changed.</p>
<p>She at least attempted to understand the different points of view. I do believe education and exposure to people unlike us can help with well-facilitated conversations.</p>
<p>Here are some questions to consider when planning or hosting your next meeting or event.</p>
<ol>
<li>In what ways will you build your diverse audiences to ensure appropriate engagement?</li>
<li>In selecting speakers and entertainers, in what ways will you influence a diverse representation of people and ideas to expose those who participate to people who may be unlike them in some ways and have information from which they can learn?</li>
<li>In selecting cities or states for your meetings, how will you try to ensure that those attending your meeting feel and are safe from attacks by authorities?</li>
<li>What are your organization&rsquo;s values or the values they wish to convey and how are they expressed in what people see?</li>
<li>Will you, when you hear a &ldquo;joke&rdquo; or comment made that objectifies women, slurs others, and is harmful or hurtful or hateful, speak up and express that it is inappropriate?</li>
</ol>
<p>I promised a second part of <strong><a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/blog/postid/529/our-industrys-reputation-and-yours-are-at-stake-help-is-needed" target="_blank">our discussion on ethics</a></strong> and it will be posted either later this month, or the first&nbsp;of December 2018&mdash;the season of giving and receiving gifts&mdash;just in time for you to consider what you will give and accept from those with whom you do business.</p>
<p>This blog post you are reading right now does tie into ethics. The quote I use on one of my email signatures is indicative of ethics and inclusion: <em>&quot;The first step in the evolution of ethics is a sense of solidarity with other human beings.&quot; -</em>&nbsp;Albert Schweitzer<strong>.</strong></p>
<p>Thus, we&rsquo;ll call this part 1A of my ongoing ethics posts with part 2 to come. For now, be kind, be safe, VOTE [heeding <strong><a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/blog/postid/287/whats-on-your-ballot-vote-nov-8-our-industry-matters" target="_blank">these words from before the 2016 U.S. election</a></strong> from industry leaders] and pay attention to what you can do to create a more accepting, peaceful world.</p>
<p>I add this NPR article <strong><a href="https://www.npr.org/2014/05/19/308296815/six-words-youve-got-to-be-taught-intolerance" target="_blank">Six Words &lsquo;You&rsquo;ve Got to Be Taught&rsquo; Intolerance</a></strong> about a song from &ldquo;South Pacific&rdquo; that expresses what we can do. If you&rsquo;re not familiar with it, please read the article <strong><a href="https://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/southpacific/youvegottobecarefullytaught.htm" target="_blank">and then the lyrics</a></strong>.</p>
<p>In the additional article included with the November 2018 Friday With Joan newsletter you will read words from Jordan Rudner who works in Anchorage at Abused Women&#39;s Aid in Crisis, helping victims of domestic violence and abuse, and from Sherrif Karamat, CEO of PCMA. Of the many wonderful posts of hope, these two, because of who wrote them and what they said, made the most impact on me to send.</p>
<p>There are so many more. If you&rsquo;ve not seen them and want to, ask and I&rsquo;ll post. If you have seen good words, please post in the comments. And be sure to take the poll and write to me at <strong><a href="mailto:FridayWithJoan@aol.com">FridayWithJoan@aol.com</a></strong> with thoughts you might want posted anonymously.</p>
<p>I&rsquo;m glad to&nbsp;post in the comments for you without your name&nbsp;and to hold your comments in complete confidence.</p>
<p><em>Editor&rsquo;s Note: The views expressed by contributing bloggers are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Meetings Today or its parent company.</em></p>
<p><strong>Related Reading From the November 2018 Edition of Friday With Joan</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/magazines/article-details/articleid/32896/title/ruminations-on-tree-of-life-kentucky-killings" target="_blank"><strong>Ruminations on the Tree of Life and Kentucky Killings</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.meetingstoday.com/newsletters/friday_with_joan/2018_11_02.html" target="_blank"><strong>Click here to view additional content in the 11.02.18&nbsp;Friday With Joan newsletter.</strong></a></p>
<div class="author-section">
<p><strong>Posted by Joan L. Eisenstodt</strong></p>
<p><img alt="Joan Eisenstodt Headshot" src="/Portals/0/images/2018/Friday_With_Joan/Joan_Eisenstodt_Author_Bio_200.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 200px;" title="Joan Eisenstodt Headshot" /></p>
<p><strong>Follow Joan on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/joaneisenstodt" target="_blank">@joaneisenstodt</a></strong></p>
</div>
530Our Industry’s Reputation and Yours Are at Stake: Help Is Needed!https://www.meetingstoday.com/blog/postid/529/our-industrys-reputation-and-yours-are-at-stake-help-is-neededCareer Advice,Diversity & Inclusion,Ethics,Government Meetings,Hospitality,Value of meetingsFri, 05 Oct 2018 15:31:07 GMT<p>When the meetings industry first introduced the <strong><a href="http://www.eventscouncil.org/CMP/AboutCMP.aspx" target="_blank">CMP</a></strong>&mdash;referred to as &ldquo;Certified Meeting Planner&rdquo;&mdash;it was to help ensure that those who planned meetings be considered professionals.</p>
<p>As the program evolved, it became possible for suppliers in our industry to be tested and to receive the designation, which as a result was changed to &ldquo;Certified Meeting Professional.&rdquo;</p>
<p>For most of the years I&rsquo;ve been in this industry, I&rsquo;ve questioned the business practices that are considered &ldquo;standard&rdquo; or &ldquo;normal&rdquo; and sought evidence of those practices being ethical and professional.</p>
<p>I&rsquo;ve looked to other professions&mdash;accounting, medicine, law, journalism, association management, counseling, among them&mdash;and saw that there were standards of conduct that <em>must be adhered to</em> in order to maintain one&rsquo;s license to practice in that profession.</p>
<p>No such thing exists for planning, sales, or convention services in our industry.</p>
<p>In preparing to write this blog post&mdash;one of two (or more) that will look at practices and perceptions of those of us who plan and supply services and venues for meetings&mdash;this part of the <strong><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/professional" target="_blank">definition of &quot;professional</a></strong>&quot;&nbsp;struck me:</p>
<p><strong>&ldquo;</strong><strong><em>characterized by or conforming to the technical or ethical standards of a profession</em></strong><strong>.&rdquo;</strong></p>
<p>In fact, in the <strong><a href="http://www.eventscouncil.org/store.aspx" target="_blank">9th Edition of the EIC Manual</a></strong>, &nbsp;subtitled &ldquo;A working guide for effective events, meetings and conventions&rdquo;, there is no separate chapter on &ldquo;ethics.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Instead, it is included in &ldquo;Domain J: Professionalism&rdquo; where &ldquo;Sub Skill 30.01&rdquo; is &ldquo;Demonstrate Ethical Behaviour.&rdquo;</p>
<h2>Relaxing Standards in the Meetings Industry</h2>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.eventscouncil.org/APEX/about-apex" target="_blank">APEX</a></strong>, The Accepted Practices Exchange Initiative, and the CMP give us the technical &ldquo;standards&rdquo; of the profession. To be a member of the <strong><a href="http://www.eventscouncil.org/index.aspx" target="_blank">Events Industry Council (EIC)</a></strong> (founded in 1949 as the &ldquo;Convention Liaison Council,&rdquo; then renamed &ldquo;Convention Industry Council&rdquo;), it was, for years, a requirement to have a code of conduct or ethics.</p>
<p>Now, it is required to <em>submit </em>a code but it is no longer a requirement for membership. No one could tell me when and why the requirements for membership changed.</p>
<p>In talking with staff of a number of EIC member organizations, I learned that some don&rsquo;t have codes of conduct or codes of ethics at all.</p>
<p>And if they do, many, like that of the <strong><a href="https://www.asaecenter.org/" target="_blank">American Society of Association Executives (ASAE)</a></strong> are, for all but <strong><a href="https://www.asaecenter.org/programs/cae-certification" target="_blank">Certified Association Executives (CAE)</a></strong>, aspirational. Only for CAEs is there an enforceable code of conduct referred to as &ldquo;<strong><a href="https://www.asaecenter.org/-/media/ASAE/Files/Programs/CAE/CAE-policies-and-procedures-as-of-June-2016---public.ashx?la=en&amp;hash=9EB85D8C0CFFBDA578ACADB748490A594DB8059C" target="_blank">CAE Standing Rules and Policies</a></strong>.&rdquo;</p>
<p>If one has attained and maintained the CMP designation, one agrees to abide by the <strong><a href="http://www.eventscouncil.org/CMP/AboutCMP/Ethics.aspx" target="_blank">CMP Code of Ethics</a></strong>. <em>But</em> (and I do mean &ldquo;but&rdquo; not &ldquo;and&rdquo; as improvisation teaches) it is rarely used to strip someone of their CMP for unethical behavior.</p>
<p>I was told by EIC that the ethics complaints are almost always about a person using the designation who has not been attained or maintained and not for behaviors that violate the code as I believe those in the stories below do.</p>
<h2>Who&rsquo;s Enforcing Our Industry&rsquo;s Ethics Policies?</h2>
<p>In e-mail exchanges and voice conversations with staff members of EIC member organizations, there seems to be little done <em>now</em> if there are ethics violations.</p>
<p>MPI, which used to have an enforceable and lengthy code of conduct, changed it years ago to the <strong><a href="https://www.mpiweb.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/principles-of-professionalism.pdf?sfvrsn=69c49f5a_4" target="_blank">Principles of Professionalism</a></strong> for which there is no reporting body.</p>
<p>It seems, an already existing program&mdash;MPICares&mdash;was created to advance service projects and report and examine issues of sexual harassment and ethics violations.</p>
<p>(Interestingly, <strong><a href="https://www.local10.com/news/florida/broward/county-employee-faces-accusations-she-funneled-255k-in-contracts-to-boyfriends-company" target="_blank">featured in the news recently</a></strong> and <strong><a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/magazines/article-details/articleid/32775/title/mpi-foundation-director-accused-gross-misconduct" target="_blank">also reported on this week by Meetings Today</a></strong> was the MPI Foundation Executive Director who has been accused of a crime, <a href="http://www.meetingstoday.com/newsevents/industrynews/industrynewsdetails/articleid/32784/title/christine-roberts-resigns-mpi-foundation" target="_blank"><strong>who has since resigned from her position but claims innocence</strong></a>).</p>
<p>There is a fine ethical/legal line that I am sure will be sorted out as this proceeds.</p>
<p>Why write now&mdash;<em>again</em>&mdash;about these issues?</p>
<h2>Why I Choose to Write About Ethics</h2>
<p>There are multiple reasons:</p>
<p><strong>1. I&rsquo;ve been asked repeatedly what I want my legacy to be.</strong> I hope that a) it&rsquo;s that we learn to create interactive, well-conceived and executed meetings with no more theatre or schoolroom sets, and really, b) we all agree to operate in a manner that reflects well on us individually and on our profession which, I believe, means working ethically.</p>
<p><strong>2. Colleagues and strangers have for years and continue to contact me to sort out ethical issues.</strong> Most recently, some have discussed the quid pro quo of booking meetings: suppliers want their numbers to gain their bonuses or keep their jobs. Planners or others who sign meeting contracts are often willing to sign multi-year or exaggerated room-block contracts or make up fake and contract meetings to &ldquo;help a seller friend&rdquo; achieve their goals to earn more money or bonuses, knowing full well that what they both are doing is not ethical and may, in fact, be illegal. &nbsp;</p>
<p>Strangely, the example most often cited as unethical behavior in our industry is of sellers who offer and planners who accept <strong><a href="http://www.eventscouncil.org/APEX/glossary.aspx" target="_blank">familiarization (&ldquo;fam&rdquo;) trips</a></strong> (or hosted buyer invitations) for destinations and/or properties the parties know are not in the pipeline for use, justifying that &ldquo;someday&rdquo; they may work elsewhere or that &ldquo;someday&rdquo; they may convince someone to book the city or site because they were once there.</p>
<p>Forget that the wining and dining and gifts that come with many of these trips may have dollar values above what one&rsquo;s employer&rsquo;s code of ethics note is permissible.</p>
<h2>Real-Life Examples of Questionable Behavior</h2>
<p>Over the many years I&rsquo;ve worked in the industry, I&rsquo;ve seen the results of unethical behavior and the cost to organizations as a result.</p>
<p>Here are but a few specific examples, never reported to the CMP Board, in which planners and suppliers who were CMPs (or in one case a CAE) were involved.</p>
<p><strong>Story 1</strong>: Full-time planners at an organization created their own side company to receive commission on <em>meetings they booked for their employer</em>. The <em>commission agreements were inserted after the contracts were signed</em>. Adding to the behavior, the planners often used the CEO&rsquo;s electronic signature to sign these bogus contracts.</p>
<p>The hotels? They got the numbers they wanted as did the sales people who received their bonuses. The planners? Perks for getting the business signed and an expectation of commission.</p>
<p>Though these planners were eventually fired when an audit uncovered the fraudulent meetings, I know the planners were hired by others because, by law, a past employer cannot ask about such behaviors. Because nothing was reported to the CMP Board, even the CMP designation wasn&rsquo;t stripped.</p>
<p><strong>Story 2</strong>: An organization&rsquo;s CEO, a CAE, and planner, a CMP, booked a future meeting with a vastly inflated room block. The contracted block was not remotely achievable given the group&rsquo;s pattern and expectations. The hotel salesperson, if history had been submitted by the group or checked by the hotel, would have questioned the numbers.</p>
<p>What did the CEO and planner receive for contracting this meeting? Super Bowl tickets and other perks.* What happened to the organization? They paid more than $100,000 in attrition and almost went bankrupt. The salesperson? Bonus and promotion based on the nights booked even though they were never actualized.</p>
<p><em>[Yes, this is a discussion for another time&mdash;how our industry sets up conditions for incentives for salespeople. It was a conversation, in research for this blog that surfaced with many hotel personnel.]</em></p>
<p>*Both were eventually fired though no charges were brought. The planner went on to tout expertise in the job and was praised by suppliers for good work.</p>
<p><strong>Story 3</strong>: A planner wanted to help a supplier partner who was having trouble booking enough business to meet their year-end goals. The planner made up multiple meetings that were not on anyone else&rsquo;s radar&mdash;basically fake business.</p>
<p>The planner, a CMP, received trips and other perks for themselves and for their family. The supplier? Made their numbers and received a bonus. The organization? Hefty legal fees, some cancellation fees, and a new meeting created to mitigate what would have been additional millions of dollars in cancellation fees.</p>
<p>Uncovered in an audit and review of emails, the planner was fired.</p>
<p>When the action was reported to the hotel company, despite their ethics&rsquo; code, the salesperson remained on the job.</p>
<p><strong>Story 4</strong>: A planner needed promotional products (aka &ldquo;<strong><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tchotchke" target="_blank">tchotchkes</a></strong>&rdquo;) for a meeting.</p>
<p>When ordering it was not specified that the items could not come from China&mdash;just that the price had to be &ldquo;the lowest.&rdquo; The lowest priced items were made in China and were ordered by the promotional products company.</p>
<p>When received, the planner <em>told</em> (not asked!) the supplier to remove all labels on boxes and other packaging indicating that the items were from China. It was the supplier who came to me with the story of the issue and the dilemma: does one report this action to an employer or to the CMP ethics review board and risk losing a good client or comply?</p>
<p><strong>[I know the outcome&mdash;I&rsquo;ll let you suss this one out and consider what you&rsquo;d do].</strong></p>
<p>There are many more situations I&rsquo;ve seen and about which others have told me. Included in the current issues are those about third parties who receive commissions and <strong><a href="http://www.meetingstoday.com/blog/postid/316/marriott-planner-clash-whats-commission-got-to-do-with-it" target="_blank">about which I wrote previously</a> </strong>for a Friday With Joan newsletter and blog post.</p>
<p>I was told directly by someone doing this that they and others are going to the franchise properties&rsquo; owners and demanding the higher commission and in some cases getting it.</p>
<p>In talking with an industry attorney, I was told that in an audit, when discovered, the franchisee could be in jeopardy.</p>
<p>Among stories known to many are those surrounding what U.S. government planners faced over one particular Las Vegas meeting that was reported in <strong><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2012/04/17/the-incredible-stupidity-that-created-the-gsa-debacle/#711bf46ba17b" target="_blank">national news</a></strong> and by <strong><a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/magazines/article-details/articleid/19375/title/collateral-damage" target="_blank">our industry&rsquo;s press</a></strong>. As a result, all of our industry and all meetings were made to look like boondoggles.</p>
<h2>Advancing Integrity in Our Industry</h2>
<p>Where do we go from here?</p>
<p>If we are to be thought of as professionals, regardless of our job titles or in which industry segment we work, is it appropriate to look more closely at behaviors?</p>
<p>Consider, as you chew on the stories noted above and your own experiences, these questions:</p>
<ul>
<li>What do you do when a client or employer asks you to do something that violates a specific written code or your own moral compass?</li>
<li>What guides you ethically in life and in business?</li>
<li>When you heard Jiminy Cricket say &ldquo;Let your conscience be your guide,&rdquo; did you consider what that meant and what to do if your conscience and &ldquo;standard practice&rdquo; were in conflict?</li>
</ul>
<p>Will you help me and help our profession? Either in the comments section below or in the comments area in the <a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/magazines/article-details/articleid/32785/title/qa-paul-greenberg-hospitality-industry-ethics" target="_blank"><strong>sidebar interview with Paul A. Greenberg</strong></a> who is a professor of journalism and was in our industry, or to me personally at <strong><a href="mailto:FridayWithJoan@aol.com?subject=Friday%20With%20Joan%20October%202018">FridayWithJoan@aol.com</a></strong>, write and tell me what guides you ethically. <a href="https://goo.gl/forms/c1i9bQDBjcHxSr4b2" target="_blank"><strong>Answer the poll questions.</strong></a></p>
<p>Read the codes of ethics for the industry segment to which you belong. And watch for the continuing discussion based on input from a variety of industry professionals in the next weeks about hiring and interviewing with ethics in mind, specific language and reaction to that in the CMP Code, and more.</p>
<p>If we can&rsquo;t get this right, what then is the point of pretending to be professionals?</p>
<h2>And Just One More Very Important Thing!</h2>
<p>November 6, 2018, is the U.S. midterm election.</p>
<p>I, and those affiliated with Meetings Today, encourage you to vote. There are issues on ballots throughout the U.S. that will impact meetings including taxes and initiatives important to how and where we do business.</p>
<p>There are elections of individuals who you may want to question at town hall meetings about their stands&nbsp;that impact your particular employer or clients and their meetings.</p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.meetingstoday.com/newsletters/friday_with_joan/2016_07_01.html" target="_blank">Having written</a></strong> about what happens when laws are passed that cause groups to reconsider where their meetings are held, it&rsquo;s a time to be more informed. For those who are not U.S. citizens, we encourage you to vote in elections of your own countries.</p>
<p><em>Editor&rsquo;s Note: The views expressed by contributing bloggers are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Meetings Today or its parent company.</em></p>
<p><strong>Related Reading From the October 2018 Edition of Friday With Joan</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/magazines/article-details/articleid/32785/title/qa-paul-greenberg-hospitality-industry-ethics" target="_blank"><strong>Q&amp;A: Paul A. Greenberg on Hospitality Industry Ethics</strong></a></li>
<li><strong>Related FWJ Blog Post and Part II of Our Conversation on Ethics:<br />
<a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/blog/postid/532/tis-the-season-ethics-of-gifting-entertaining" target="_blank">&#39;Tis the Season: Ethics of Gifting and Entertaining</a></strong></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.meetingstoday.com/newsletters/friday_with_joan/2018_10_05.html" target="_blank"><strong>Click here to view additional content in the 10.05.18&nbsp;Friday With Joan newsletter.</strong></a></p>
<div class="author-section">
<p><strong>Posted by Joan L. Eisenstodt</strong></p>
<p><img alt="Joan Eisenstodt Headshot" src="/Portals/0/images/2018/Friday_With_Joan/Joan_Eisenstodt_Author_Bio_200.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 200px;" title="Joan Eisenstodt Headshot" /></p>
<p><strong>Follow Joan on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/joaneisenstodt" target="_blank">@joaneisenstodt</a></strong></p>
</div>
529Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be ... Planners!https://www.meetingstoday.com/blog/postid/512/mama-dont-let-your-babies-grow-up-to-be-plannersCareer Advice,Education,Family-Friendly,Future Forecasting,Hospitality,Life-long learningFri, 07 Sep 2018 02:57:51 GMT<p>Did you know early in life that you wanted to work in the hospitality industry? Maybe you did&mdash;depending on your age and family or other influences in your life. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p>As the school year begins, and for some of us, a new year with Rosh Hashanah, it is a time of reflection or even, for some, declaring a major. It is a time of renewal as the leaves turn. And many are considering what now or what&#39;s next in their careers.</p>
<p>And I, having discovered yet another parent-child duo both in hospitality, began thinking about that song: &ldquo;<strong><a href="http://www.meetingstoday.com/magazines/article-details/articleid/32680/title/mamas-dont-let-your-babies-parody-mp3-lyrics" target="_blank">Mamas, Don&rsquo;t Let Your Babies Grow Up To be Cowboys</a></strong>.&rdquo;*</p>
<p>Although I&rsquo;d never heard the song in its entirety, the title always made me smile. Then <strong><a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=mama+don%27t+let+your+babies+grow+up+to+be+cowboys+lyrics&amp;rlz=1C1GCEA_enUS794US794&amp;oq=mama+don%27t+let+&amp;aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0l5.4911j0j7&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8" target="_blank">I read the lyrics</a></strong> and thought how apropos for our industry! (Do note that clearly some part of me wanted to be a cowgirl&nbsp;... and perhaps a detective&mdash;thus the garb in the main photo for this blog post&nbsp;from my early years!).</p>
<p>Liz Erikson Marnul, an industry icon and someone I&rsquo;ve known for more than 35 years said &ldquo;You should really tell people how you got into this industry.&rdquo;</p>
<p>I was surprised somehow that she didn&rsquo;t know.</p>
<p>Other than the very early years of wearing clothing that seemed to reflect two possible professions, I thought I wanted to teach&mdash;I loved &ldquo;playing school&rdquo;&mdash;and then I considered social work. If I had had &ldquo;school smarts&rdquo; rather than being a life-long learner who learns by reading, observing, discussing and practicing a craft, I might have been a social anthropologist or, because I love words and how they fit together, a lawyer.</p>
<p>As a meeting professional, and in the areas in which I&rsquo;m involved now in our profession, I think that I have been able to incorporate some of my passion for those areas.</p>
<p>As a child in the &lsquo;50s, I put on street fairs to raise money for polio research when the boy next door was diagnosed with polio. In grade and high school, I helped organize events. Later, I helped plan and run city-wide ones and national events for a museum and then for an organization.</p>
<p>After dropping out of full-time college after a year&mdash;even working while in school didn&rsquo;t provide the financial resources, and the learning by sitting and absorbing lectures and spitting back information was not my learning style&mdash;I worked a variety of jobs: ad sales at a newspaper, bookstore sales, in the family poultry business, and as a teacher&rsquo;s aide. Until I moved to Washington, D.C. in 1978, I didn&rsquo;t know there was a profession for what I was doing.</p>
<p>What influenced me? Did I truly fall into this profession&mdash;this industry? Was it pre-destined? Was I, in a past life (if you&rsquo;ve followed me for any time, you know one of my favorite films is &ldquo;Defending Your Life&rdquo; on which <strong><a href="http://geoteaming.com/2017/10/26/102617-inclusion-and-ada-in-team-building-and-meetings-with-joan-eisenstodt/" target="_blank">John Chen and I based a discussion</a></strong>) was I one of &ldquo;those&rdquo; meeting participants who, at a bad meeting, said &ldquo;Sheesh, I can do this better&rdquo;?</p>
<p>My parents, of blessed memory, worked in various professions including sales; some cousins were lawyers; others teachers. One branch of the family founded a successful chain of restaurants and though I visited that part of the family, I don&rsquo;t remember that they influenced my choice of profession. <strong><a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/magazines/article-details/articleid/32679/title/all-in-the-hospitality-industry-family" target="_blank">Unlike those interviewed</a> </strong>there was no one to guide me into a hospitality career.</p>
<p>In conversations with many who choose to go into our industry, I hear the influencers are still the love of people, travel and details.</p>
<p>Those already in the industry are seeking more fulfillment, whether it&rsquo;s moving away from logistics only or putting a spin on logistics or finding a way to better serve customers.</p>
<p>If love of people, travel and details were the main reasons to be a planner, I&rsquo;d not be in this industry. <strong><a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/susan_cain_the_power_of_introverts?language=en" target="_blank">An introvert, I like people in small doses</a></strong>; a mobility disability has made travel a greater challenge, and details? If it&rsquo;s contracts and words, yes. If it&rsquo;s meeting logistics, not so much anymore.</p>
<p>When I read the articles linked in the additional reading, none of them applied.</p>
<p>There are studies to show why <strong><a href="http://time.com/money/3742906/entrepreneurs-nature-or-nuture-science-shows/" target="_blank">being an entrepreneur may run in families</a></strong>. The number of self-employed people in various professions&mdash;lawyers, doctors, small business owners&mdash;prevalent in my family is evidence. And there are lots of teachers among my first cousins and a niece. There was also a rabbi&mdash;a profession I once considered and as Rod Abraham, an MPI Founder, said about me when he introduced me when I received an award, I was a &ldquo;rabbi&rdquo;&mdash;a teacher. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p>I&rsquo;m grateful to have learned <a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/magazines/article-details/articleid/32679/title/all-in-the-hospitality-industry-family" target="_blank"><strong>how those interviewed</strong></a>&mdash;parents and children, sisters, and a granddaughter&mdash;were influenced to go into and stay in the hospitality industry. There are others not interviewed (Steve and Adam Ferran, Patti Shock, Vanessa Vlay and Michele Koch Hansen among them) who I hope will share their stories in the comments section below this blog post.</p>
<p>I hope, as you consider what now and what next, you will think about your <strong><a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/blog/postid/277/meetings-industry-strengths-and-talents-stats" target="_blank">Strengths</a></strong> [yes, capital &ldquo;S&rdquo; because it refers to a specific tool], and read <strong><a href="http://www.barbarasher.com/index.htm" target="_blank">Barbara Sher&rsquo;s</a></strong> marvelous books (in particular, &ldquo;Wishcraft: How to Get What You Really Want&rdquo; and &ldquo;I Could Do Anything If Only I Knew What It Was&rdquo;) to learn more about yourself.</p>
<p>I think this industry has opportunities (careers in eldercare for example) galore that we are only beginning to discover and certainly one where there aren&rsquo;t enough people (hospitality law); and areas of privacy and technology for use in learning and serving customers. The sky isn&rsquo;t even the limit, is it? Some will need to be the pioneers to plan the hotels and meetings in space!</p>
<p><strong><a href="https://www.upworthy.com/cosby-show-star-job-shamed-for-bagging-groceries-turns-ridicule-into-inspiration?c=upw1" target="_blank">Keep this story in mind too</a></strong>: an actor who has had great roles also needed income to keep going. He took a job bagging groceries at Trader Joe&rsquo;s. The story is inspiring. If you want to start in a position or as a volunteer that others think are &ldquo;below&rdquo; you, do it anyway.</p>
<p>Experience is what gets us where we need to be. And the more broad our experience is, the more we show our desire to work, the better our chances are, regardless of lineage, to find the job or next job that is best for you.</p>
<p>As you read <a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/magazines/article-details/articleid/32679/title/all-in-the-hospitality-industry-family" target="_blank"><strong>these stories of careers</strong></a> intentional and unintentional that brought people to our industry, I hope you&rsquo;ll reflect on the influences and influencers and then share yours.</p>
<p>This is an industry that can make a difference in how people learn, work and serve others.</p>
<p>What&rsquo;s next in your future?</p>
<p><em>Editor&rsquo;s Note: The views expressed by contributing bloggers are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Meetings Today or its parent company.</em></p>
<p><strong>Related Reading From the September 2018 Edition of Friday With Joan</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><strong><a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/magazines/article-details/articleid/32679/title/all-in-the-hospitality-industry-family" target="_blank">Interviews With Those Where Planning Runs in the Family</a></strong></li>
<li><a href="http://www.meetingstoday.com/magazines/article-details/articleid/32680/title/mamas-dont-let-your-babies-parody-mp3-lyrics" target="_blank"><strong>*Mamas Don&rsquo;t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Planners (MP3 + Lyrics)</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.meetingstoday.com/newsletters/friday_with_joan/2018_09_07.html" target="_blank">Click here to view additional content in the 09.07.18&nbsp;Friday With Joan newsletter.</a></strong></p>
<div class="author-section">
<p><strong>Posted by Joan L. Eisenstodt</strong></p>
<p><img alt="Joan Eisenstodt Headshot" src="/Portals/0/images/2018/Friday_With_Joan/Joan_Eisenstodt_Author_Bio_200.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 200px;" title="Joan Eisenstodt Headshot" /></p>
<p><strong>Follow Joan on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/joaneisenstodt" target="_blank">@joaneisenstodt</a></strong></p>
</div>
512Why Unions, Planners and Suppliers Need to Get Alonghttps://www.meetingstoday.com/blog/postid/328/why-unions-planners-and-suppliers-need-to-get-alongAudio Visual,Diversity & Inclusion,Education,Food and Beverage,Hospitality,Hotels,Sustainable Meetings,Value of meetingsFri, 01 Jun 2018 15:22:41 GMT<p>If you were looking for a job or negotiating the conditions under which you&rsquo;d work, of these, which would you <em>not</em> want?</p>
<ul>
<li>Fair and equitable wages/salary.</li>
<li>Working hours and conditions to meet your needs and those of your family.</li>
<li>Vacation time (and time to use it).</li>
<li>Overtime compensation (whether in dollars or &ldquo;comp&rdquo; time).</li>
<li>Protection from sexual and other harassment by management, coworkers, customers or members, and vendors.</li>
<li>Job security against outsourcing.</li>
<li>Training for new technology and assurance your job would not be outsourced to a robot.</li>
<li>Training to keep up with changes in your job responsibilities.</li>
</ul>
<p>As I finish&nbsp;the edits for this blog for <a href="http://www.meetingstoday.com/newsletters/friday_with_joan/2018_06_01.html" target="_blank"><strong>the June 2018 edition of Friday With Joan</strong></a>, we wait to see if the Las Vegas hotel companies, including Caesars, MGM and others,&nbsp;will settle with the Culinary Workers Union whose contracts expire on May 31, 2018.</p>
<p><strong>Editor&#39;s Note: On June 1,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reviewjournal.com/business/casinos-gaming/caesars-reaches-tentative-agreement-with-culinary-union/" target="_blank">a tentative agreement was reached with Caesars</a>.</strong></p>
<p>99% of those in the Culinary Union eligible to vote, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/las-vegas-casino-workers-vote-authorize-strike-n876651" target="_blank"><strong>voted to strike</strong></a> if their contracts were not renewed to include or expand upon many of the conditions noted above.</p>
<p>If they walk out, 50,000 workers who serve meeting-goers, business travelers, tourists and sports fans will not be on the job, and easily 100,000 people in the families of affected workers will be impacted. In addition to many of the items noted above, these workers also want to share in the profits of the hotels and casinos for whom they work and of the tax benefits afforded corporations from the new U.S. tax bill.</p>
<p>In fact, one need only look at <a href="https://www.reviewjournal.com/business/casinos-gaming/top-casino-ceos-in-nevada-earn-more-than-110m/" target="_blank"><strong>the salaries of the casino CEOs in Nevada</strong></a> to see the discrepancy in what is being paid and wonder why the contracts have not easily been settled. In one article, one of those who voted to strike was quoted as saying:</p>
<p><em>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to go on strike, but I will.&nbsp;The company is more profitable than ever because of the hard work we do, and I&rsquo;m going to keep fighting to make sure we have a fair share of that success,&rdquo; added MGM Resorts International guest room attendant Adela Montes de Oca.</em></p>
<p>My research&nbsp;causes me to wonder if planners do not want decent wages and working conditions, including safety from harassment, for our supplier partners.</p>
<p>Or do we not see as &ldquo;partners&rdquo; those who change our sheets, prepare and serve our food, wash the dishes, make the drinks, and do the work that enables meetings to happen?</p>
<p>I talked with a former hotel concierge who loved the job at which they&rsquo;d worked for years, and who saw others&nbsp;being treated badly by management, owners and guests. In attempting to organize for better conditions, this person was penalized.</p>
<p>Thankfully, the now former concierge went on to do work that is helping others achieve protection in their jobs.</p>
<p>I talked with and read about many <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/nation-now/2018/05/23/las-vegas-casino-workers-strike-vote/636037002/" target="_blank"><strong>who faced hardships in the last strike in 1984</strong></a> and who know that by voting to strike now could be endangering their livelihood.</p>
<p>Hockey fans wonder if the Vegas Golden Knights and the Washington Capitals [yes, I have a favorite!], all part of the players&rsquo; union, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2018/05/23/las-vegas-casino-workers-could-strike-during-stanley-cup-over-sexual-harassment/?utm_term=.b4f0afc66de7" target="_blank"><strong>will cross picket lines</strong></a>, even informational picket lines, if a walkout occurs.</p>
<p><strong>[Follow <a href="https://twitter.com/meetingstoday" target="_blank">@meetingstoday</a> on Twitter for updates on the strike].</strong></p>
<p>Our industry overall (meetings and hospitality), and <a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/magazines/article-details/articleid/32371/title/planners-share-pros-cons-working-with-unions" target="_blank"><strong>as reflected in some of the comments in the Q&amp;A</strong></a>, has seemed anti-union, or at least anti-union for their meetings. I find it ironic that the overall industry, and some in particular, have not spoken in support of the Culinary Union workers. <strong>Some of the ironies I&#39;ve noticed&nbsp;are noted below.</strong></p>
<p><strong>Irony 1:</strong> Some hotel brands have cut commissions for some third parties/independent planners who work on commissions <a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/blog/postid/316/marriott-planner-clash-whats-commission-got-to-do-with-it" target="_blank"><strong>about which I&rsquo;ve written</strong></a>.</p>
<p>There are now at least two groups organizing, in essence, for collective bargaining for those third parties not affiliated with what have been called the &ldquo;favored four,&rdquo; the larger companies whose higher commissions will last a bit longer.</p>
<p>These two organizations have not yet spoken out in support of the Culinary Workers.</p>
<p><strong>Irony 2:</strong> Industry associations say they are putting &ldquo;teeth&rdquo; into anti-sexual harassment policies. To the best of my knowledge, these organizations did not stand behind the Seattle initiative for &ldquo;panic buttons&rdquo; for hotel workers or sign on to the UNITE HERE-supported <a href="https://www.handsoffpantson.org/" target="_blank"><strong>#HandsOffPantsOn ordinance</strong></a> in Chicago.</p>
<p>There has not been industry-wide support for <a href="http://www.culinaryunion226.org/news/press/las-vegas-casino-workers-union-is-calling-on-visitors-to-not-sexually-harass-workers" target="_blank"><strong>this demand from the Culinary Workers Union</strong></a> to protect its members and others in the industry from being sexually harassed.</p>
<p><strong>Irony 3:</strong> Our industry touts the contributions to the economy of tourism, travel and meetings but I&rsquo;ve not seen support by industry associations for unions.</p>
<p>In particular, I have not seen support for the 50,000 people whose lives are made better and who can move toward financial stability who are part of the Culinary Workers Union.</p>
<p>Interestingly, studies show that <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/40497318/how-millennials-are-trying-to-revive-the-labor-movement" target="_blank"><strong>Millennials are supportive of the labor movement</strong></a>. Maybe we have to wait for them to move into management for this to take hold.</p>
<p>Or, as with previous movements, it&#39;s possible they just need to start voting.</p>
<h2>UNITE HERE&#39;s Side of the Story</h2>
<p>Look, I know that UNITE HERE has angered planners and organizations because of the calls to planners and to organizations&rsquo; boards of directors encouraging some groups to not book properties or cities where the contracts with union labor are in dispute.</p>
<p>Like others, I have questioned the practice and wondered if it were the best way to reach out to planners and organizations.</p>
<p>I asked Levi Pine, Boycott Organizer from UNITE HERE, who though not an unbiased party, is someone who has given me reasons to trust him, how to explain this. This is a portion of his response, edited for length and clarity, and in some cases paraphrased.</p>
<p>&ldquo;<em>We always attempt to communicate with meeting planners first, by phone and email. When we do reach that person, we try to convey the seriousness of the labor dispute and make a follow-up plan with them about relocating their event.</em></p>
<p><em>&ldquo;Sometimes it&rsquo;s really hard to find out who the meeting</em> <em>planner is </em>[suppliers will verify this]<em>, or hard to find accurate contact information.</em></p>
<p><em>&ldquo;And, even if we can find the planner, often they try to cut off communication with us. Thus we have reached out to other organization staff or sometimes boards of directors.</em></p>
<p>&ldquo;<em>We know there are many who want to support workers, and even more who would be upset to arrive at their event and be faced with a labor dispute especially if a hotel or DMO had not informed the group, or the planner had not asked, in selecting the site and contracting, what labor issues were on the table.</em></p>
<p><em>&ldquo;Groups have chosen to relocate their events to avoid a boycott. Some organizations look back on a decision to relocate as a real defining moment that demonstrates their integrity.</em></p>
<p><em>&ldquo;When customers use that form of economic advocacy, it really does have a big impact. Boycotts have contributed to settling good union contracts that helped workers.&rdquo;</em></p>
<p>[Joan&rsquo;s note: oh the many gray areas of and the other discussions of boycotts for reasons of laws passed and commissions changed. We do need much more discussion].</p>
<p><em>&ldquo;We suggest that groups incorporate the strongest protective language in event contracts to protect themselves and their events against the unforeseen</em>.</p>
<p><em>&ldquo;Our lawyers have written language that incorporates protections against various forms of a labor dispute, and that is&nbsp;</em><a href="http://www.fairhotel.org/model-protective-language" target="_blank"><strong><em>available here</em></strong></a><em>.</em></p>
<p><em>&ldquo;Meeting planners should </em>[during site selection and after for groups booking far out]<em> check the list of hotels and labor disputes at&nbsp;</em><a href="http://www.fairhotel.org/" target="_blank"><strong><em>www.fairhotel.org</em></strong></a><em>. If you don&rsquo;t find a property on the &ldquo;FairHotel&rdquo; list, a labor dispute is possible there. Planners can also call a FairHotel representative for the most current news on hotel labor disputes.</em></p>
<p><em>&ldquo;Meeting planners can reach a representative at&nbsp;773.383.5758.&rdquo;</em></p>
<h2>Making the Case for Unions</h2>
<p>So yes, I&rsquo;m pro-union. No one in my family of mostly self-employed people were, to the best of my knowledge, members of unions.</p>
<p>Maybe it was <a href="https://folkways.si.edu/pete-seeger-the-almanac-singers-and-the-song-swappers/talking-union-and-other-union-songs/american-folk-struggle-protest/music/album/smithsonian" target="_blank"><strong>the Pete Seeger songs</strong></a> played or the general attitude about respect for all workers or the neighbors who were part of unions at the General Motors plants in my hometown of Dayton, Ohio, that made me aware of the importance of organized labor.</p>
<p>Maybe it&rsquo;s because without the Labor Movement, children might still have to work, and hours would be far greater than 40 per week [yes, I know you work more than that&mdash;imagine if you had a union representing you to help you!], or the conditions under which those in the U.S. work would result in more <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/uncovering-the-history-of-the-triangle-shirtwaist-fire-124701842/" target="_blank"><strong>Triangle Shirtwaist Fire disasters</strong></a>.</p>
<p>I&rsquo;ve been self-employed for nearly 40 years and with my own company 37 as of Friday, June 1, 2018. I had to negotiate for salary and working conditions before I was self-employed, and for fees, expense reimbursements, specific work and conditions, since I became self-employed. Having an organization to support me and others might have resulted in a better standard of living and conditions for us.</p>
<p>So what do you do if the Culinary Workers in Las Vegas, or any other workers where you have a meeting booked, do walk out or if you learn that there may be a walkout or informational pickets taking place?</p>
<p>In 2011, <a href="http://www.meetingstoday.com/magazines/article-details/articleid/15512/title/labor-pains" target="_blank"><strong>this Meetings Today&nbsp;article</strong></a> explained what planners could do in the event of a strike. While some references may be&nbsp;dated, it still is relevant and important to consider.</p>
<p>Consider this too: <a href="http://www.fairhotel.org/sign-fairhotel-partner" target="_blank"><strong>Become a FairHotel Partner</strong></a> just as others are, and negotiate the Model Protective Language provided <a href="http://www.fairhotel.org/model-protective-language" target="_blank"><strong>here</strong></a> into your contracts just as you are considering the language we&rsquo;ve come to call the &ldquo;ASAE Clause&rdquo; regarding non-discrimination.</p>
<p>Take time to read the <strong><a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/magazines/article-details/articleid/32372/title/john-stephens-fairhotel-partner-organized-labor" target="_blank">second part of the Friday With Joan Q&amp;A</a></strong>&mdash;featuring one of the FairHotel Partners&mdash;to understand more.</p>
<p>I am grateful to those with UNITE HERE and with the Culinary Workers Union (Levi Pine, Jeremy Pollard, Rachel Gumpert and Bethany Khan) among those who first helped me research the <a href="https://www.handsoffpantson.org/" target="_blank"><strong>#HandsOffPantsOn</strong></a> Ordinance in Chicago, and for <a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/blog/postid/314/metoo-in-meetings-and-hospitality-whats-next" target="_blank"><strong>the #MeToo blog here at MeetingsToday</strong></a>. I&rsquo;d also like to thank Christine Busiek, CMP, of <a href="http://www.inmex.org/" target="_blank"><strong>INMEX</strong></a>, for information.</p>
<p>I stand with you, Culinary Workers Union Local 226 (and those workers outside the union as well) <a href="https://folkways.si.edu/pete-seeger-and-the-song-swappers/solidarity-forever/american-folk-struggle-protest/music/track/Smithsonian" target="_blank"><strong>in solidarity</strong></a>. I hope the contracts are settled and that your families&mdash;and our industry&mdash;will not suffer.</p>
<p><strong>Additional Reading</strong></p>
<p>Following are links to the growing concern about technology and robots taking hospitality jobs. Planners, don&rsquo;t assume your job is not at risk!</p>
<p>Already with the ability for automated site selection, why would our jobs entirely not be <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/sep/13/artificial-intelligence-robots-threat-jobs-forrester-report" target="_blank"><strong>among the 6% that may be automated by 2021</strong></a>?</p>
<ul>
<li>Food service workers are among those most impacted by artificial intelligence or robots taking jobs. Read more in this March 24, 2017, article from CNN Tech:<br />
<a href="http://money.cnn.com/2017/03/24/technology/robots-jobs-us-workers-uk/index.html" target="_blank"><strong>U.S. Workers Face Higher Risk of Being Replaced by Robots. Here&rsquo;s Why</strong></a>.</li>
<li>From <em>The Washington Post </em>in 2016, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-brave-new-world-of-robots-and-lost-jobs/2016/08/11/e66a4914-5fff-11e6-af8e-54aa2e849447_story.html?utm_term=.104b59900cb7" target="_blank"><strong>The Brave New World of Robots and Lost Jobs</strong></a> [note that a subscription may be required to view, if you&rsquo;ve reached your article limit].</li>
<li><a href="https://www.eater.com/2018/5/3/17314620/restaurant-robots-spyce-boston-daniel-boulud" target="_blank"><strong>Will Foodservice Robots Take Jobs Away From Human Workers?</strong></a> (via Eater).</li>
<li>DNA recently explored the idea of <a href="http://www.dnaindia.com/business/report-robot-as-a-concierge-2618495" target="_blank"><strong>robots as concierges</strong></a><strong>.</strong></li>
<li>Hospitality Technology published the following in April 2017:<br />
<a href="https://hospitalitytech.com/robots-hospitality-five-trends-horizon" target="_blank"><strong>Robots in Hospitality: Five Trends on the Horizon</strong></a>.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>A Final Note From Joan:</strong> If you are someone who would like to be on my list of those to be considered for expressing opinions on a variety of Friday With Joan and Meetings Today Blog subjects, please email me at <strong><a href="mailto:FridayWithJoan@aol.com?subject=Blog%20Interest">FridayWithJoan@aol.com</a></strong> with the subject line &quot;Blog Interest&quot; and in the body of the email, your expertise and issues about which you care about that relate to meetings and hospitality. Let&#39;s get in touch!</p>
<p><em>Editor&rsquo;s Note: The views expressed by contributing bloggers are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Meetings Today or its parent company.</em></p>
<p><strong>Related Reading From the June 2018 Edition of Friday With Joan</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/magazines/article-details/articleid/32371/title/planners-share-pros-cons-working-with-unions" target="_blank"><strong>Planners Share Pros and Cons of Working With Unions</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/magazines/article-details/articleid/32372/title/john-stephens-fairhotel-partner-organized-labor" target="_blank"><strong>Q&amp;A With John Stephens, a FairHotels Partner, on Organized Labor</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.meetingstoday.com/newsletters/friday_with_joan/2018_06_01.html" target="_blank"><strong>Click here to view additional content in the 06.01.18&nbsp;Friday With Joan newsletter.</strong></a></p>
<div class="author-section">
<p><strong>Posted by Joan L. Eisenstodt</strong></p>
<p><img alt="" src="/Portals/0/Blog/JoanEisenstodt_headshot_ver2.jpg" /></p>
<p><strong>Follow Joan on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/joaneisenstodt" target="_blank">@joaneisenstodt</a></strong></p>
</div>328A Tribute to the Memory of Arlene Sheff and Others in the Meetings Industryhttps://www.meetingstoday.com/blog/postid/327/a-tribute-to-the-memory-of-arlene-sheff-and-others-in-the-meetings-industryHospitality,Hotels,MentoringWed, 16 May 2018 14:13:05 GMT<p><em>(Note from Joan:&nbsp;This blog post is updated from the original version. Attribute some of the misinformation to my emotions and desire to ensure Arlene&#39;s life was honored as quickly as possible. My thanks to Arlene&#39;s and Richard&#39;s daughter, Brenda, for setting the record straight).</em></p>
<p>Our world moves too fast. We rush from one meeting to another. From one crisis to another. From one <em>believed</em> crisis to another.</p>
<p>And while we rush, we forget so many who meant so much&mdash;family, friends, colleagues&mdash;who came before us. In our industry, though we have the <a href="http://www.eventscouncil.org/hall-of-leaders/HallofLeadersInductees.aspx" target="_blank"><strong>EIC Hall of Leaders</strong></a> to commemorate people who were once honored for their contributions, few rarely visit to learn of the standard-bearers for our industry.</p>
<p>This list of industry advocates includes Bill Just, Bob Dallmeyer, Jack Vaughn, among the many honored who had such an impact on my life, and others, and are now gone.</p>
<p>Though she was never honored by the larger industry, many of us were influenced and taught by someone I loved and now have lost.</p>
<p>On Saturday, May 12, 2018, <strong>Arlene Sheff</strong>&mdash;wife, mother, bubbe, friend, colleague, mentor, teacher&mdash;the self- and other-described &ldquo;Queen of Everything&rdquo;&mdash;died. She was my early morning/her middle-of-the-night instant message pal for years.</p>
<p>We taught together at MPI&rsquo;s Institute programs where we were once accused of conspiring or maybe it was colluding &hellip; on what, we never knew but oh the wonderful clandestine calls and laughter we shared!</p>
<p>Arlene battled a non-cancerous brain tumor and then it returned&mdash;stage 4 brain cancer that she hid from many&mdash;in October 2017. The initial brain tumor&nbsp;pushed her to more-or-less retire earlier than she&rsquo;d planned.</p>
<p>She epitomized the phrase <em>battled</em> when it came to an illness<em>.</em></p>
<p>She was a warrior, doing all it took in treatment, whether that meant eating a better diet or exercising regularly [<em>Joan&#39;s note:&nbsp;this is really what she told me! Brenda said Arlene did use a treadmill now and then! That seems more like it but I wanted to believe she was doing what I couldn&#39;t!</em>] which she came to sorta love, to live and live well.</p>
<p>Through it all, she continued to teach and participate in interviews for industry publications, as always, sharing her knowledge. When I told one of Meetings Today&rsquo;s editors, Eric Andersen, that Arlene had passed away, what he said described Arlene to a &ldquo;t&rdquo;: &ldquo;<em>I interviewed Arlene at least once for a feature story and remember she shared a good amount of knowledge with me when I was just starting up with [Meetings Today]. She took the time to explain things more thoroughly when I mentioned I was new to the position and just learning the ins-and-outs of the industry. [I&rsquo;m] sorry to hear about her passing</em>.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Even in retirement (do planners ever really retire?!), Arlene planned the bicycle trips for her sweet husband, Richard, and his group of bicyclist friends. Never riding herself, she ensured every detail was taken care of, worrying that even the smallest detail might be overlooked. OY! Such a professional!</p>
<p>Arlene would tell me about the holiday (you name it&mdash;she&rsquo;d make it a holiday!) parties she&rsquo;d throw for family and friends. She&rsquo;d send photos of the outfits and costumes she made for her granddaughters. She kvelled at each thing the girls did.</p>
<p>And about her daughters, Brenda and Debbi, more kvelling!</p>
<p>Then the damn tumor returned and even then, robbed of so much, Arlene worked like crazy to regain movement and speech. She, Richard, Brenda and Debbi and so many friends did all in their power to make her well. But our prayers and energies and love just couldn&rsquo;t. Many of us lost a dear friend. Richard lost his wife, his love, his partner.</p>
<p>Brenda and Debbi, both <em>who work for aspects of our</em> industry, lost far more&mdash;a mother on the eve of Mother&rsquo;s Day and&nbsp;just months before a birthday for <em>Debbi</em>&nbsp;[<em>Brenda reminded me that Debbi&#39;s birthday is in July when I originally implied it was sooner. Let&#39;s celebrate her then</em>].</p>
<p>As I spent the weekend grieving and still grieving for Arlene, memories of others who have gone too young, too soon, flooded back. I thought of dear <strong>Michael Conod</strong>, my first Convention Services Manager (CSM) at the then-Omni Shoreham, who even after a diagnosis of AIDS made him so sick, would call me nightly so we could talk through <em>Jeopardy</em> and the contestants and what we knew that they didn&rsquo;t.</p>
<p><strong>Doris Sklar</strong>, planner for General Electric, for whom an IACC scholarship is named. Teller of &ldquo;Zelda and Max&rdquo; jokes so well that we called her &ldquo;Zelda,&rdquo; and who, with Jim Daggett, Keith Sexton-Patrick and me, received the first HSMAI Pacesetter Award in 1995.</p>
<p><strong>Jim Fausel</strong> who died, oddly, on the same day albeit in a different year that Doris died, which is also Arlene&rsquo;s birthday&mdash;October 18&mdash;a stalwart in the Society of Government Meeting Professionals (SGMP), who cared deeply about safety and helped begin an industry safety conference in Arizona.</p>
<p><strong>Howard Mills</strong>, a founder of the National Coalition of Black Meeting Professionals, who was inducted into the EIC Hall of Leaders, and who helped me adjust to the first Events Industry Council (EIC, then the CLC) Board meeting to which we were both delegates.</p>
<p><strong>Sally Karwowski</strong>, a D.C. planner, who died six years ago of breast cancer and who was the one in the D.C. Metro area who ensured those on the old MIMList (a meetings forum) got together once a month for the virtual-to-face-to-face lunches to learn more.</p>
<p><strong>Rosie Ledesma-Bernaducci</strong>, the queen (sorry Arlene&mdash;Rosie gets a small &ldquo;q&rdquo;!) of pharma meetings whose life ended so tragically and without the ability of any of us to help her but oh the void she left in our industry and in our lives!</p>
<p><strong>Laurie Meyer, </strong>who operated a speakers&rsquo; bureau and had finally taken improvisation classes and started doing stand-up comedy. I treasure the copy of a few of her routines sent to me before her untimely death.</p>
<p><strong>Dan Krueger</strong>, &ldquo;Boston Dan&rdquo; to many on Facebook, who lived a complicated life and died an untimely death, who knew travel and transportation in and out and would do so much for each of us who asked for help.</p>
<p>And dear <strong>Stan Aaronson</strong> who was a friend and brilliant man when it came to everything related to production and AV, gone over too few months of a horrible cancer.</p>
<p>Before I close this blog post to share, with permission, the beautiful tribute Richard Sheff wrote about Arlene, I ask this of you: please share in the comments section below your memories of those who have gone before us who made a difference in your life and the life of our industry. Tell stories. Share humor they shared with you. Share appreciation.</p>
<p>Then remember to say thank you to those still among the living who are making a difference and are ensuring that we grow as an industry.</p>
<p><strong>We <em>say</em> we are a relationship industry. Let&rsquo;s prove it! My list isn&rsquo;t even close to comprehensive of those I loved and lost.</strong></p>
<p><strong>Please add names so that we can have a memorial wall here.</strong></p>
<p>I will, each year on the yahrzeits of those I loved, say <a href="https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/text-of-the-mourners-kaddish/" target="_blank"><strong>Kaddish</strong></a> to commemorate their lives just as I do for my family of blessed memory.</p>
<p>Arlene, and each of you who have gone before, who set standards for us all in the meetings industry and in life in general, your memories will forever be for blessings. <strong>With gratitude for his love of Arlene and his words, here is Richard Sheff&rsquo;s tribute to Arlene.</strong></p>
<p><em>Dear Family &amp; Friends,</em></p>
<p><em>Saturday, May 12th at 12:25 pm, we lost our Queen.</em></p>
<p><em>Arlene was my wife of 38 years, best friend, business consultant, legal adviser, event planner, Rabbi, travel agent, editor, parole officer, the love of my life, and the Queen of our family.</em></p>
<p><em>Long live the Queen.</em></p>
<p><em>Her reign was an all too short 71 years, 206 days. She was far too young to leave us. Arlene led a charmed life. Yet her zest for living and the body it ruled was in the end, no match for the universe of complications caused by brain cancer.</em></p>
<p><em>Shakespeare expressed it so well in Romeo &amp; Juliet; it bears repeating:</em></p>
<p><em>&quot;Death lies on her, like an untimely frost.&quot;</em></p>
<p><em>&quot;Upon the sweetest flower of all the field.&quot;</em></p>
<p><em>Arlene was our family&#39;s spiritual leader. She orchestrated the Passover Seder, purchased synagogue tickets and led us to prayer during the high holidays.</em></p>
<p><em>She became a loyal congregant at Shabbat (Sabbath) Services streamed live from New York City&#39;s beautiful Central Synagogue. Watching this religious reality show on the big screen in our bedroom became a Friday night ritual for her. If you have a moment, I think she would appreciate hearing you recite Psalm 121 ... it was her favorite.</em></p>
<p><em>A Song of Assents</em></p>
<p><em>&ldquo;I lift my eyes to the mountains&mdash;from where will my help come?</em></p>
<p><em>&ldquo;My help will come from the Lord, Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot falter; your guardian does not slumber. Indeed, the Guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps.</em></p>
<p><em>&ldquo;The Lord is your guardian; the Lord is your protective shade at your right hand. The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.</em></p>
<p><em>&ldquo;The Lord will guard you from all evil; He will guard your soul.</em></p>
<p><em>&ldquo;The Lord will guard your going and coming from now and for all time.</em>&rdquo;</p>
<p><em>A complete biography of her life would fill the pages of a very large book. I&#39;ll leave you with one fact you may not have known about the Queen ... she was the best at everything she did.</em></p>
<p><em>When Arlene worked at Bridgestone Tire, she received the highest mark ever recorded on their &quot;Tire Test.&quot;</em></p>
<p><em>She studied all the English language practice exams at the DMV and memorized their study guide. Her test score was perfect. She was a knowledgeable instructor in her chosen profession and consistently received glowing reviews from all her students.</em></p>
<p><em>Her performance reviews at work were always &quot;outstanding&quot; and included bonus and stock option rewards. Her second grade report card&mdash;yes, I have it&mdash;informed her parents that she excelled at talking.</em></p>
<p><em>There&#39;s no easy way to say goodbye. Arlene lived every minute well and she lived her life at the speed of light. She flew first class. Stayed in the nicest hotels. Applied her make up with artistic perfection and made sure her hair was stylishly quaffed.</em></p>
<p><em>Her cologne was divine and expensive. Her wardrobe, endless.</em></p>
<p><em>She was always in charge. She was the Queen of our family and we weep from this indescribable loss.</em></p>
<p><em>It&#39;s been said that weeping is God&#39;s antidote for sorrow. With time, that may be so. For now, I will continue weeping while battling the silence that fills our home.</em></p>
<p><em>Thank you for your cards and kind words of condolence. No flowers, please. If you want to remember Arlene in a meaningful way, do what she did ... help fill the land of Israel with a forest of trees. This was always her way of honoring the departed. <strong><a href="http://usa.jnf.org/jnf-tree-planting-center/." target="_blank">Order trees here</a></strong>.</em></p>
<p><em>May Arlene&#39;s memory be an eternal blessing.</em></p>
<p><em>Richard Sheff</em></p>
<div class="author-section">
<p><strong>Posted by Joan L. Eisenstodt</strong></p>
<p><img alt="" src="/Portals/0/Blog/JoanEisenstodt_headshot_ver2.jpg" /></p>
<p><strong>Follow Joan on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/joaneisenstodt" target="_blank">@joaneisenstodt</a></strong></p>
</div>
327Moving GMID, Meetings and Our Industry Forwardhttps://www.meetingstoday.com/blog/postid/324/moving-gmid-meetings-and-our-industry-forwardEducation,HospitalityFri, 04 May 2018 14:42:57 GMT<p>May 2018 marks the 50th anniversary of my first vote in a U.S. and local election in my hometown of Dayton, Ohio, to date, the proudest day of my life!</p>
<p>I had gone to the polls with one or both of my parents during many elections, &ldquo;practiced&rdquo; voting with my school classes <a href="https://youtu.be/jsHBIh0U8_o" target="_blank"><strong>in the old voting booths with curtains</strong></a>, and was fortunate to live in a household that, regardless of how little income there was, ensured we read newspapers and watched the news daily. I was educated and ready to vote!</p>
<p>Since that first vote, I have not missed voting in any election regardless of where I lived. And even now, as a nearly 40-year resident of the District of Columbia (where we have <a href="https://www.dcvote.org/10-myths-about-district-columbia" target="_blank"><strong>taxation without voting representation</strong></a>), I continue to be informed and involved.</p>
<p>And I <em>always</em> vote.</p>
<p>Helping to educate and engage with others is the main purpose of this blog and my <strong><a href="http://www.meetingstoday.com/newsletters/friday_with_joan/2018_05_04.html" target="_blank">monthly Friday With Joan newsletter</a></strong> that includes additional relevant content.</p>
<p>Thus, I was pleased to recently be invited to participate as a speaker for the Global Meetings Industry Day (GMID) event in Chicago, <a href="http://chicagoindustryxchange.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Industry Exchange or iX</strong></a>.</p>
<p>As I perused other GMID 2018 programs listed on the Meetings Mean Business (MMB) website, I was surprised to see how many were purely celebratory&mdash;or as I refer to them &ldquo;boozing and schmoozing&rdquo;&mdash;exactly the behaviors the U.S. Congress and the media have called out critically and that have caused curtailment of meetings or participation therein.</p>
<p>One event did bill itself as a way to learn advocacy, though when asked, it was &hellip; boozing and schmoozing in a great venue, where I was told, the advocacy part would be to meet others in and outside of the meetings industry. Doesn&#39;t sound like advocacy to me.</p>
<p>I&#39;m grateful to report that Chicago&rsquo;s event, planned by a savvy committee (thank you all!), with advice from John Nawn of <a href="http://theperfectmeeting.com/" target="_blank"><strong>The Perfect Meeting</strong></a>, gave me confidence the Industry Exchange would be educational as well as celebratory right from the start.</p>
<p>I was also confident&nbsp;that&nbsp;the topics and other speakers and I would be able to provide substance allowing those in attendance to go forth and advocate.</p>
<p>My topic for discussion at the Industry Exchange was #MeToo in meetings and hospitality.</p>
<p>To prepare, I researched online, read and then talked at length with both the Chicago Clerk&rsquo;s Office and with <strong><a href="http://www.unitehere1.org/" target="_blank">UniteHere</a>.</strong></p>
<p>UniteHere&nbsp;was the union representing, in this case, Chicago&rsquo;s hotel housekeepers. As a result of their advocacy, and unlike in Seattle where <a href="http://fortune.com/2017/12/14/panic-button-hotel-room/" target="_blank"><strong>the hotel community fought policies and procuring panic buttons</strong></a> for housekeepers, Chicago was in full support.</p>
<p>I am indebted to both the Chicago Clerk&rsquo;s Office and UniteHere for all they did to make housekeepers safe by passing the <a href="https://www.handsoffpantson.org/" target="_blank"><strong>&ldquo;HandsOffPantsOn&rdquo; ordinance</strong></a> and by celebrating with this cake for <a href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/hotel-workers-cake-celebrate-sexual-harassment-ordinance-harvey-weinstein/" target="_blank"><strong>&ldquo;No Harveys in Chicago.&rdquo;</strong></a></p>
<p>That&rsquo;s in addition to the information they shared at length with me.</p>
<p>Look, all who work in hospitality need celebrations! We&rsquo;re all overworked and many are undercompensated. We hear all the time &ldquo;anyone can do this&mdash;it&rsquo;s not brain surgery or rocket science,&rdquo; to which I say (well, it&rsquo;s a family publication so instead of what the students at March for Our Lives said, I say) &ldquo;WRONG!&rdquo;</p>
<p>What we do&mdash;what housekeepers do, what restaurant workers do, what sales and convention service people do&mdash;is often as complex as brain surgery: we are responsible for the health, safety, education and lives of tens of thousands.</p>
<p>We deserve to participate in celebrations and in education.</p>
<p>We deserve to be informed, to register to vote and to vote.</p>
<p>My <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/learning/leading-with-applied-improv/yes-and-vs-yes-but" target="_blank"><strong>improvisation training</strong></a> tells me to say &ldquo;yes, and&rdquo; (thanks, Izzy Gesell!) versus &ldquo;Yes but&rdquo; so: &ldquo;Yes, we need to celebrate meetings and what they bring <strong><em>and</em></strong> we need to do more than booze and schmooze. We need to educate others on the issues impacting our world and the impact all of those issues have on meetings, travel and tourism.</p>
<p>We need to help register people to vote, and we need to encourage voting <strong>[<a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/Article-Details/ArticleID/32287" target="_blank">See my interview with Roger Rickard for more on that</a>]</strong>.</p>
<p>We also need to find a way to highlight and work to educate, especially on September 25, 2018, <a href="https://nationalvoterregistrationday.org/" target="_blank"><strong>National Voter Registration Day</strong></a>.</p>
<p>We are facing huge changes in our world, few if any that do not or will not impact meetings and hospitality. Some of the many changes include:</p>
<ul>
<li>Automation which may eliminate once entry-level jobs (front desk jobs, for example).</li>
<li>Declining U.S. and world infrastructure impacting where and how and how safely we conduct meetings.</li>
<li>Rising food and beverage prices sometimes attributed to drought or other climate conditions, sometimes to increased labor costs.</li>
<li>Increasing hotel and tourism taxes to fund projects in cities in which we meet.</li>
<li>Sexual harassment for which panic buttons and other areas of safety for workers will be needed; and far more.</li>
</ul>
<p>Nancy Zavada and others have done so much <a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/News-Events/Event-Details/ItemID/4090" target="_blank"><strong>to highlight sustainability</strong></a>.</p>
<p>Sandy Biback is working tirelessly <a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/Magazines/ArticleDetails/RegionID/0/ArticleID/32103" target="_blank"><strong>on issues of human trafficking</strong></a>.</p>
<p>(<a href="https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Lawsuits-Accuse-Hotels-Truck-Stops-of-Turning-Blind-Eye-to-Sex-Trafficking-481290921.html" target="_blank"><strong>Here&rsquo;s updated information</strong></a> from NBC 4 Washington on a lawsuit aimed at hotels, their owners and shareholders because of trafficking).</p>
<p>Around the world, everyone is waiting to see what the <a href="https://www.voanews.com/a/supreme-court-hears-arguments-travel-ban-case/4365453.html" target="_blank"><strong>U.S. Supreme Court says about travel bans or restrictions</strong></a> that have impacted meetings, especially for those inbound to the U.S. who have been held up at borders and in airports.</p>
<p>Another state has passed, and more are considering, <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/04/30/anti-lgbt-bills-us-states-could-derail-adoptions" target="_blank"><strong>laws restricting the rights of LGBTQ people</strong></a>, which for some will be a reason to curtail travel there, for others, a reason to flock to that state. Regardless, it has an impact.</p>
<p>Immigration and refugee status around the world will impact the service economy, more about which a future Friday With Joan will explore. And certainly Brexit has been called out for <a href="http://ukandeu.ac.uk/impact-assessment-of-brexit-services-industries-will-be-hardest-hit/" target="_blank"><strong>the problems it will cause in Europe for the service economy</strong></a>.</p>
<p><strong>Meetings Mean Business states the following: </strong></p>
<p><em>&ldquo;Meetings Mean Business is an industry-wide coalition to showcase the undeniable value that business meetings, trade shows, incentive travel, exhibitions, conferences and conventions bring to people, businesses and communities. By rallying industry advocates, working with stakeholders, conducting original research, engaging with outside voices and more, the coalition brings the industry together to emphasize its importance.</em></p>
<p><em>&ldquo;Comprised of over 60 members, the coalition unites the meetings industry with one strong and powerful voice.&rdquo;</em></p>
<p>After rereading this statement, I thought how obvious it was to me that GMID events <em>should</em> showcase the importance of what happens at meetings&mdash;the education that leads to better job performance;&nbsp;the tradeshows that result in sales; the research presented that leads to medical and scientific breakthroughs&mdash;versus the alcohol and food consumed.</p>
<p>I wonder if GMID 2019 will have a focus on voter registration, education on the issues, and voting. Just as one of the amazing students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School said at the Washington, D.C. &ldquo;March for Our Lives&rdquo; rally, let&rsquo;s also make <a href="https://www.aapd.com/advocacy/voting/" target="_blank"><strong>REV (Register, Educate, Vote)</strong></a> part of GMID and our industry.</p>
<p>C&rsquo;mon MMB and EIC and each member organization and company of those coalitions: <em>every</em> year is an election year so don&rsquo;t say we&rsquo;ll consider stressing voter registration more in an election year! Let&rsquo;s highlight the issues that impact meetings at all the chapter programs of each industry association and let&#39;s do it year-round.</p>
<p>And for all the independent organizations holding events or those with websites or social media pages, highlight registering to vote and voting all the time.</p>
<p><strong><em>Footnote: In addition to coming from a family of news consumers and voters, the next-next generation is actively promoting voting. I present my cousin Joel Moss Levinson&rsquo;s efforts in his community of Yellow Springs, Ohio, where he and spouse are raising two children to be active participants in their&nbsp;community by example. See the video below [<a href="http://www.facebook.com/levinsonbrothers/videos/10155552224075838/UzpfSTUwMDE4NDIxNDozMDYwNjExMjk0OTk0MTQ6MTA6MDoxNTI1MTU3OTk5OjI1NzAwNjE5MjEzMjg2MDA5Nzg/?hc_ref=ARSMNQsBM7y6JC4HAcd30bdHAwXOe38a2Q1LIQ9f0Fcnj_JLPuPDMyuyOvbXcDInQ-c" target="_blank">or on Facebook</a>].</em></strong></p>
<p><iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="315" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Flevinsonbrothers%2Fvideos%2F10155552224075838%2F&amp;show_text=0&amp;width=560" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" width="560"></iframe></p>
<p><em>Editor&rsquo;s Note: The views expressed by contributing bloggers are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Meetings Today or its parent company.</em></p>
<p><em>Any products or services noted are for reference and do not constitute an endorsement.</em></p>
<p><strong>Related Reading From the May 2018 Edition of Friday With Joan</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/Article-Details/ArticleID/32287" target="_blank"><strong>Q&amp;A: Meetings Advocacy With Roger Rickard</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.meetingstoday.com/newsletters/friday_with_joan/2018_05_04.html" target="_blank">Click here to view additional content in the 05.04.18&nbsp;Friday With Joan newsletter.</a></strong></p>
<div class="author-section">
<p><strong>Posted by Joan L. Eisenstodt</strong></p>
<p><img alt="" src="/Portals/0/Blog/JoanEisenstodt_headshot_ver2.jpg" /></p>
<p><strong>Follow Joan on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/joaneisenstodt" target="_blank">@joaneisenstodt</a></strong></p>
</div>
324Travel Packing Tips for Meeting and Event Plannershttps://www.meetingstoday.com/blog/postid/323/travel-packing-tips-for-meeting-and-event-plannersCareer Advice,Hospitality,TravelFri, 06 Apr 2018 17:04:45 GMT<p>Travel is exhausting; it didn&rsquo;t used to be.</p>
<p>My first flight was in the late &rsquo;40s, which means I&rsquo;ve been a frequent flyer for more than 70 years albeit not earning frequent flyer points until the start of the programs in the &rsquo;80s, with my Dad <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turboprop" target="_blank"><strong>on a prop plane</strong></a> from Ohio to New Jersey.</p>
<p>I only remember it from photos commemorating my first flight.&nbsp;</p>
<p>That first flight took place during the days when we walked on the tarmac and up steps to board planes and when we arrived, those greeting us came to the tarmac as well.</p>
<p>For that first trip, I didn&rsquo;t have to pack and I&rsquo;m sure what was in Dad&rsquo;s suitcases for both of us was far different than what I later needed as an adult for my travels!</p>
<p>Being a prepared and well-packed traveler allows us to make one part of the experience less stressful. After months of writing about critical industry issues, this April 2018 edition of Friday With Joan is taking a break from issues that impact our industry to issues that impact us and our sanity as individual business travelers.</p>
<p>For those among us who are experienced; for those still acquiring business travel experience; and for the hospitality and meetings students that are in this to travel, here are some travel and packing tips.</p>
<h2>The Basics</h2>
<p>My esteemed colleague, Marlys Arnold, has written and prepared an interactive CD-ROM entitled &ldquo;<a href="https://www.exhibitmarketerscafe.com/packyourbags/" target="_blank"><strong>Pack Your Bags: Tips and Tools for Savvy Travelers</strong></a>&rdquo;&mdash;and it&rsquo;s currently on sale!</p>
<p>She provides lots of information for non-business travelers as well including a reminder of &ldquo;<a href="https://www.tsa.gov/travel/frequently-asked-questions/what-3-1-1-liquids-rule" target="_blank"><strong>3-1-1</strong></a>&rdquo;, the TSA travel rule for liquids and gels where each passenger is limited to one quart-size bag of 3.4-ounce containers.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that <em>you</em> may know how to travel but for your meetings and shows there will always be a first time traveler for whom basic information is useful. Note too that the rules do keep changing especially for international flights.</p>
<p>Keep up to date by following <a href="https://twitter.com/TSA" target="_blank"><strong>@TSA</strong></a> or <a href="https://twitter.com/AskTSA" target="_blank"><strong>@AskTSA</strong></a> on Twitter.</p>
<p><strong>1. Buy good luggage: </strong>Though the initial investment may be greater and sturdy luggage may be a bit tough for all to afford, if you plan to travel more than a few times a year, it&rsquo;s worth every penny.</p>
<p>Frequent travelers have learned that luggage takes a beating whether it&rsquo;s checked or carried on. Ensure what you buy meets the carrier&rsquo;s requirements and <a href="https://www.tsa.gov/blog/2014/02/18/tsa-travel-tips-tuesday-tsa-recognized-locks" target="_blank"><strong>can be locked with a TSA-approved lock</strong></a>.</p>
<p>Sometimes gate-checking is required when a plane is full and your hoped-to-carry-on bag has to go below. You want to make sure your valuables (which for me includes medications, makeup, clothing, emergency radio and files) are as safe as you can make them if you cannot carry them with you.</p>
<p>When you consider a wheeled bag, if possible, test it first. Handles are of varying length and depending on your height, may be awkward to pull through an airport. And there are different types of wheels, too.</p>
<p>And if you think a bag over your shoulder is a good idea, take it from me: the damage to your neck and shoulders from years of schlepping shoulder bags is now terribly painful.</p>
<p>Roll, don&rsquo;t carry.</p>
<p>The most useful device I recently acquired is <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Elastic-Gigabit-Adjustable-Suitcase-Accessories/dp/B0776PSMNZ/" target="_blank"><strong>a Bag Bungee</strong></a>. It has allowed me to attach my backpack with laptop inside to my rolling bag far more easily than I had before with the hook on the suitcase or sliding it over the suitcase handle.</p>
<p><strong>2. Ticketing: </strong>Whether traveling by air or rail, booking through discount websites may be a great way to save money. I don&rsquo;t. I&rsquo;ve heard and read too many stories of those denied boarding or not having the seats they thought they had when doing so.</p>
<p>Or if a flight is canceled or changed, the inability to then change other legs of trips, including changing carriers, may not be as easy as booking elsewhere.</p>
<p>I prefer booking using a travel agent or directly with the airline.</p>
<p>For train travel, I book directly with Amtrak on their websites or by phone.</p>
<p><em>Note: some airlines charge an additional fee to book using their reservations agents. Decide if it&rsquo;s worth it by checking the airline&rsquo;s website or asking when you call if there is an additional fee. Amtrak now too has fare rules similar to airlines regarding cancellation or changes.</em></p>
<p><em>Check before you commit.</em></p>
<p>Like many business travelers, I&rsquo;m very picky about seat location. The sooner a ticket is booked (on most airlines) the more options one has for flights and seats.</p>
<p>Caution: there are now as many classes of seats and fees for specific seats including seats allowing you to sit with traveling companions as there are airfares. Check frequently. Aircraft changes for your flights may cause seat reconfigurations.</p>
<p>If you are flying on a commuter jet or smaller plane, find out the ability to take carry-on luggage on board. This will also help you decide which luggage to purchase and use.</p>
<p>Additionally, it will help you decide what to pack.</p>
<p><strong>3. Boarding: </strong>If you are in a &ldquo;priority&rdquo; boarding class, arrive in time to do so. This is more likely to ensure space overhead for luggage.</p>
<p>And if you are traveling by rail, most Amtrak stations have great Red Caps who can board you early especially if you want an <a href="https://www.amtrak.com/quiet-car" target="_blank"><strong>Amtrak Quiet Car</strong></a> seat which quickly fill.</p>
<p>Do remember to tip those who assist you.</p>
<h2>What&rsquo;s in your suitcase?</h2>
<p>It was delightful <a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/Article-Details/RegionID/0/ArticleID/32186" target="_blank"><strong>to learn what colleagues pack for business trips</strong></a>. Each has different priorities. Of those queried, none noted required medical devices <a href="http://traveltips.usatoday.com/tsa-rules-cpap-machines-110222.html" target="_blank"><strong>such as a CPAP machine</strong></a>, which is not included in the two-bag maximum for most carry-on luggage on U.S. flights. It may mean you have to schlep a bit more and you should plan accordingly.</p>
<p>I try to limit what I take with me. The ability to do so goes back to my dad, of blessed memory, who traveled by car as a salesperson.</p>
<p>Dad limited his wardrobe to easy, interchangeable items.</p>
<p>Like him, I have a &ldquo;uniform.&rdquo; His was khaki slacks or, in winter, gray flannel, button-down collar shirts and navy blazers of different weights for different seasons. Mine? A black jumper dress, good T-shirts, and shawls along with jewelry, the latter two the equivalent of Dad&rsquo;s tie changes to create different looks.</p>
<h2>Make a list</h2>
<p>I&rsquo;ve learned that without a list, something is forgotten. And even with an always-packed-with-essentials suitcase, items (shampoo and soap* for example) need to be replenished.</p>
<p>For me, writing the list helps me think versus using a pre-printed list to check things off. I think from head to toe, literally, and what I&rsquo;ll need, always planning at least one extra of most items &ldquo;just in case&rdquo; a connecting flight is canceled and I need to spend a night.</p>
<p>In addition to the usual for some (laptop, iPhone, chargers, medications, makeup, underwear, something to wear to sleep, and clothing accessories&mdash;for me, jewelry, for others, belts or ties), I take:</p>
<ul>
<li>Unscented or scents-I-can-tolerate toiletries*: hotels if you&rsquo;re reading this, please have an option for unscented products! Some of us have chemical sensitivities and cannot use the soaps (or shampoos, conditioners, lotions) in the rooms.</li>
<li>An <a href="https://www.redcross.org/store/preparedness/emergency-supplies/emergency-radio-weather-radio" target="_blank"><strong>emergency radio</strong></a> for its many components (There are other brands and places to purchase).</li>
<li>A <a href="https://i-dream-of-sleep.com/travel-size-white-noise-machine/" target="_blank"><strong>travel-size white noise device</strong></a>. Yes, there are apps for that and sometimes no convenient electrical outlets. Having this makes a difference for a good night&rsquo;s sleep.</li>
<li>Traveling duct tape. It comes in <a href="https://www.amazon.com/S-L-Survive-Outdoors-Longer/dp/B004H87UGS/" target="_blank"><strong>rolls</strong></a> or <a href="https://www.amazon.com/RediTape-Pocket-Basic-Color-3-Pack/dp/B079MYYWBB" target="_blank"><strong>flat packs</strong></a> and can be your best friend for anything that needs to be fixed from hems to tacking down electrical cords in your guest or meeting room.</li>
<li>Multiple small flashlights (in my luggage and purse), extra batteries and two battery-operated alarm clocks, one of which has a flashlight built in.</li>
<li>An extra pair of eyeglasses, or when I wore them, contact lenses plus eyeglasses.</li>
<li>Antiseptic wipes to wipe down armrests, tray tables, hair dryers, TV remotes and other items where germs flourish.</li>
<li>&ldquo;Emergency&rdquo; (Mylar) blanket(s) like a shawl or sweater, this is great for flights, delayed flights sitting on cold tarmac, or cold meeting rooms.</li>
<li>A small personal fan for flights delayed without air conditioning on or in over-heated meeting rooms, or, well, you know, women of a certain age!</li>
<li>A collapsible wind-resistant umbrella and a hat that repels rain.</li>
<li>Face masks especially during flu season.</li>
<li>My passport, D.C. ID [I don&rsquo;t drive so it&rsquo;s a non-driver ID] and TSA Pre-Check card because even though my boarding pass shows I&rsquo;m Pre-Check, it always pays to have, as Timothy Lam notes, extra ID.</li>
</ul>
<h2>What about packing clothing?</h2>
<p>Above I noted that my dad was very simple in what he packed.</p>
<p>I&rsquo;m fascinated by those who take many multiple outfits and shoes while I travel with minimal clean clothes that can be mixed and matched and try to get away with one pair of shoes that can look fine for business or casual wear.</p>
<p>If I worked out, I&rsquo;d ship the extra items that I would need. As Reiko Tate said, a large shawl is great as an accessory and an airplane blanket or warmth in a cold meeting room.</p>
<p>Like others have noted and Marlys Arnold stresses, roll your clothes.</p>
<p>They are neater and take up less space. Use the inside of shoes, if you take extra, for smaller items like sox, jewelry, belts, and scarves.</p>
<h2>What about checked luggage?</h2>
<p>Only when absolutely necessary.</p>
<p>Waiting for checked luggage is for me a colossal waste of time. Years ago, on a trip to the neighborhood dry cleaners, I ran in to a colleague who was picking up her clean clothes to be put in a box to ship to her next meeting.</p>
<p>I began doing the same.</p>
<p>There are now luggage services that ship and some airlines provide that service.</p>
<p>I put clothes and other items that may be too bulky for a carry-on, like a small battery operated table fan for stuffy rooms, neatly in plastic bags and directly in a box and send them by overnight or two-day service.</p>
<p>If you do this, check ahead to ensure the availability at hotels for accessing your box if you arrive late or on a weekend and the handling charge for their receiving (and reshipping) the box (with dirty clothes and other items not needed) for the next stop.</p>
<p>Hotels with in-house UPS and FedEx outlets can, even when you have an account with the service, charge a significant fee for handling and delivering the box to your room.</p>
<p>As a number of those interviewed said, check to see if you can do your own laundry at the hotel [for that I have to send unscented detergent and softener or dryer sheets] or the cost of dry cleaning. It may be worth it to take fewer clothes.</p>
<h2>Hot shipping tip</h2>
<p>Although I love USPS Priority Mail flat rate box service, I learned the hard way (is there any other?) that not all mail addressed to a hotel goes <em>to</em> the hotel itself. Rather it may go to a post office to be picked up by the hotel &hellip; and never seen again!</p>
<p>Ask before you mail or ship what the services are.</p>
<p>Ensure your box or luggage has additional labels (to the shipping label) inside and on the outside with your name and arrival, hotel name and address (An inside label is smart for inside your checked and carry-on luggage too).</p>
<p>If you&rsquo;ve read my blogs and comments long enough you probably wonder if I&rsquo;m worried someone will see that information and have more than I want them to about my whereabouts.</p>
<p>Yes, I do think about it and yes, I still ship.</p>
<p>Lastly, as others noted, take less than you think you want. Overpacking is easy and causes overstuffed or too heavy bags. No one is going to care if you wear the same outfit with different accessories (ties, jewelry, scarves or shawls) daily.</p>
<p>Pack in a way that allows you some flexibility.</p>
<p><strong>Now, tell us your travel, and especially packing, tips in the comments below.</strong></p>
<p><strong>We all learn from each other.</strong></p>
<p>Safe travels!</p>
<p><em>Editor&rsquo;s Note: The views expressed by contributing bloggers are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Meetings Today or its parent company.</em></p>
<p><em>Any products or services noted are for reference and do not constitute an endorsement.</em></p>
<p><strong>Related Reading From the April 2018 Edition of Friday With Joan</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><strong><a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/Article-Details/RegionID/0/ArticleID/32186" target="_blank">What Meetings Industry Pros Pack for Trips</a></strong></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.meetingstoday.com/newsletters/friday_with_joan/2018_04_06.html" target="_blank"><strong>Click here to view additional content in the 04.06.18&nbsp;Friday With Joan newsletter. </strong></a></p>
<div class="author-section">
<p><strong>Posted by Joan L. Eisenstodt</strong></p>
<p><img alt="" src="/Portals/0/Blog/JoanEisenstodt_headshot_ver2.jpg" /></p>
<p><strong>Follow Joan on Twitter: </strong><a href="https://twitter.com/joaneisenstodt" target="_blank">@joaneisenstodt</a></p>
</div>
323Why Diversity and Inclusion Matter to and for Hospitality, Tourism and Meetingshttps://www.meetingstoday.com/blog/postid/320/why-diversity-and-inclusion-matter-to-and-for-hospitality-tourism-and-meetingsADA,Destination Selection,Diversity & Inclusion,Event Marketing,Hospitality,Site Selection,SpeakersFri, 02 Mar 2018 17:04:12 GMT<p>&ldquo;Diversity fatigue is real,&rdquo; said Greg DeShields, CEO of <a href="https://www.discoverphl.com/phldiversity/" target="_blank"><strong>PHLDiversity</strong></a>.</p>
<p>And it&rsquo;s true. People groan when they hear the words &ldquo;diversity and inclusion.&rdquo;</p>
<p>They&rsquo;ve been through training at work, in their spiritual homes, in their communities. Yet, the fear of those &ldquo;not like us&rdquo; is great and the lessons learned are not sticking.</p>
<p>The following was posted to the Meetings Today Twitter account from a presentation on storytelling at <a href="https://www.mpincc.org/event/annual-conference-expo-2018-ace/" target="_blank"><strong>the MPI Northern California Chapter&rsquo;s Annual Conference &amp; Exhibition</strong></a>:</p>
<p>&ldquo;The story always came first. Without a great story, everything would unravel.&rdquo; The quote is attributed to <a href="http://matthewluhnstory.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Matthew Luhn</strong></a>, who worked with Pixar on the <em>Toy Story</em> films and others.</p>
<p>Because the subject is not sexy&mdash;a bit like ethics or contingency planning, as I was once told by an industry association staff person&mdash;diversity and inclusion at meetings often gets overlooked or, perhaps even worse, we assume that it&#39;s no longer an issue.</p>
<p>I began to write this blog post with the intention of identifying the many things you can do to ensure your meetings, conferences and events are more inclusive.</p>
<p><strong>My initial advice included, but certainly is not limited to the following:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Destination and Site Selection: </strong>Don&rsquo;t meet in destinations where laws are passed that discriminate against those who attend or want to attend your meetings. Don&rsquo;t give business to places where people may be in danger because of who they are, what they look like or their abilities, such as states with &ldquo;papers please&rdquo; laws or anti-LGBT laws. Instead, seek out venues with facilities that don&rsquo;t exclude people who are transgender and where accessibility goes beyond the minimal ADA standards.</li>
<li><strong>Speakers:</strong> Enlist representative speakers versus the example making its way around the internet of <strong><a href="https://www.sltrib.com/news/education/2018/02/22/poster-advertising-byu-women-in-math-panel-featuring-only-men-draws-criticism-online/" target="_blank">the math-for-women poster showing a panel of four men</a></strong>. Present different points of view and make sure that those who speak are inclusive.</li>
<li><strong>Room Sets, Lighting and Activities</strong>: Create environments and opportunities that are designed for different learning styles. Ensure you ask what people need to fully participate at your meeting or event and that you then provide for those needs. Some people may require Interpreters, including ASL Interpreters. Some people may need assistance in seeing or taking notes. Make sure to include seating that is appropriate for those using mobility devices. At networking events you should ensure that food is appropriate and labeled and that noise is low enough to allow conversation.</li>
</ul>
<p>Possible additions to my list included the offering of <strong>printed handouts</strong> versus having everything web or cloud based because not everyone has a device capable of access.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.npr.org/2016/04/17/474525392/attention-students-put-your-laptops-away" target="_blank"><strong>We also know people learn better by writing than by &ldquo;keyboarding.&rdquo;</strong></a> And let&rsquo;s not forget to <strong>ensure that images used in all levels and types of marketing</strong> are representative of different ethnicities, gender, attire, age and visible ability.</p>
<p>Then I thought: you know this. You get it.</p>
<p>You are a unique person who wants to be included versus excluded; you hate the pain you see in children and adults when they come to an event dressed differently than others because no one <em>told</em> them or <em>showed</em> them what was acceptable.</p>
<p>At some time in your life, you too were left out for being different. We all were.</p>
<p>I thought the examples shared by <strong><a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/Article-Details/RegionID/0/ArticleID/32064" target="_blank">those I interviewed for the March 2018 edition of the Friday With Joan newsletter</a></strong> would help. And yet, only a few shared personal stories.</p>
<p>As noted earlier in this blog post, the &ldquo;story comes first.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Here are some of my own experiences that have instilled a desire to seek out and ensure inclusiveness and diversity in the world in which I live and work.</p>
<p><strong>I am or was:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>the child who was kept at school to be &ldquo;babysat&rdquo; by teachers when all the others who weren&rsquo;t like me went off (public school) campus to Bible School.</li>
<li>the young person called a &ldquo;Christ-killer&rdquo; on the playground because of my religion.</li>
<li>pained when other children were bullied or left out because of their looks or income or weight or other circumstances that they most often could not control.</li>
<li>the child who saw her parents fight &ldquo;<a href="https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1CHZL_enUS764US764&amp;ei=rcCYWo-sHqKAtgXRv4TACg&amp;q=redlining&amp;oq=redlining&amp;gs_l=psy-ab.3..0i131k1j0i131i20i264k1j0l3j0i20i264k1j0l2j0i7i30k1j0.5002.5002.0.5225.1.1.0.0.0.0.124.124.0j1.1.0....0...1.1.64.psy-ab..0.1.123....0.UEguf7913nk" target="_blank"><strong>redlining</strong></a>&rdquo; and &ldquo;<a href="https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1CHZL_enUS764US764&amp;ei=x8CYWpGhFs_YsAXbjIiIAg&amp;q=blockbusting&amp;oq=blockbusting&amp;gs_l=psy-ab.3..0i67k1j0i20i264k1j0j0i67k1l2j0j0i67k1l2j0i131k1j0i67k1.28586.29820.0.29981.12.9.0.0.0.0.284.740.1j1j2.4.0..2..0...1.1.64.psy-ab..8.4.738...35i39k1j0i273k1.0.3LzcV3pjLlA" target="_blank"><strong>blockbusting</strong></a>&rdquo; [look them up; they continue today] and whose family hosted people from Kenya, Ethiopia, Vietnam, Greece, Norway and other countries and who realized, by the age of 16, how big the world really was and why it mattered and was grateful.</li>
<li>the younger-than-many representative on an industry board who was patted on the head and told &ldquo;honey just wait until you&rsquo;re older&mdash;you&rsquo;ll know more.&rdquo;</li>
<li>the industry professional who, in too many negotiations was told I was trying to &ldquo;Jew down&rdquo; the salesperson and &ldquo;oh, don&rsquo;t take offense&mdash;it&rsquo;s just a saying.&rdquo;</li>
<li>the industry professional who was tired of trying to explain why the <a href="https://ncbmp.com/Default.asp" target="_blank"><strong>National Coalition of Black Meeting Planners</strong></a> existed and was needed in our industry.</li>
<li>the planner of LGBT events who had to explain to a Director of Catering why it was acceptable to have men dancing with men and women with women at a fundraiser.</li>
<li>the non-college degree holder who constantly hears that people without college degrees can&rsquo;t make it anywhere and wouldn&rsquo;t be hired even by my own clients who, still though, want my expertise, and who realize I have, by sheer will and lots of continuous learning, done pretty well.</li>
<li>the person dealing with a mobility disability and who, upon finally getting the white hair my great-grandmother had and that I had for years thought I wanted, is now experiencing age and ability discrimination and exclusion.</li>
<li>and the highly sensitive person who notices exclusion and wonders why it has to be hurtful&mdash;or why it even has to be in the first place.</li>
</ul>
<p>You can check calendars for dates to avoid so that you don&rsquo;t meet over holidays and you can delve into why some religious holidays are more important than others.</p>
<p>You can learn by talking with people who aren&rsquo;t like you&mdash;that includes those who are your members or customers or who want to and could be if they were just asked. You can talk with your HR departments and those who conduct diversity training like <a href="https://goodenoughnow.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Jessica Pettitt</strong></a> and learn more about the importance of diversity and inclusion for all.</p>
<p>You can read what people are posting about the &ldquo;math for women&rdquo; conference that showcased a panel of four men and realize your marketing isn&rsquo;t showing who you want to attract&mdash;you too hotels and cities!</p>
<p>You can read the U.S. Department of Justice website to understand your obligations to help people with disabilities attend and participate in your meeting and you can stop asking why you have to provide sign language Interpreters because they&rsquo;re expensive.</p>
<p>You can read <a href="https://thrivemeetings.com/2018/01/dietary-restrictions-calendar/" target="_blank"><strong>what Tracy Stuckrath has written about food and beverage</strong></a> and shared elsewhere in our industry. Or why meeting the needs of those who &ldquo;claim to be vegan&rdquo; really means they need to eat what they need to eat so they feel valued.</p>
<p>It&rsquo;s pretty easy to understand why people want to be included in all the activities at your conferences and in your facilities. And why it hurts so much when people are not.</p>
<p><strong>We need to be <em>hospitable</em> and welcoming in all that we do.</strong></p>
<p>It all matters because we live in a global society and we all need to support each other, no matter how much we or others might think or say otherwise. It all matters. It just does.</p>
<p><strong>Related Reading From the March 2018 Edition of Friday With Joan</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><strong><a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/Article-Details/RegionID/0/ArticleID/32065" target="_blank">Q&amp;A With Bob Witeck and Charlie Rounds:<br />
Marriage Equality and the Hospitality Industry</a></strong></li>
<li><strong><a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/Article-Details/RegionID/0/ArticleID/32064" target="_blank">Industry Leaders Talk Diversity and Inclusion</a></strong></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.meetingstoday.com/newsletters/friday_with_joan/2018_03_02.html" target="_blank"><strong>Click here to view additional content in the 03.02.18&nbsp;Friday With Joan newsletter.​</strong></a></p>
<p><em>Editor&rsquo;s Note: The views expressed by contributing bloggers are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Meetings Today or its parent company.</em></p>
<div class="author-section">
<p><strong>Posted by Joan L. Eisenstodt</strong></p>
<p><img alt="" src="/Portals/0/Blog/JoanEisenstodt_headshot_ver2.jpg" /></p>
<p><strong>Follow Joan on Twitter: </strong><a href="https://twitter.com/joaneisenstodt" target="_blank">@joaneisenstodt</a></p>
</div>
320Marriott Planner Clash: What's Commission Got to Do With It?https://www.meetingstoday.com/blog/postid/316/marriott-planner-clash-whats-commission-got-to-do-with-itEditorial,Ethics,Hospitality,Hotels,Industry Advocacy,legal,Liability,Meetings Mean Business,negotiations,ROI,Site Selection,Value of meetingsFri, 02 Feb 2018 17:27:33 GMT<p>In Houston and Puerto Rico people are still homeless and without power. Though I have no statistics, I imagine some of those people are in the hospitality industry. &nbsp;</p>
<p>Flu is spreading around the United States and killing people; many cities are without shots or medicine or IV bags, the latter made in Puerto Rico.</p>
<p>Among those getting the flu are workers who don&rsquo;t get paid sick leave and some, no doubt, work in our industry or the wider hospitality industry.</p>
<p>There is talk of war with North Korea that few take seriously.</p>
<p>Housekeepers and others in hotels are demanding &ldquo;panic buttons&rdquo; in cities where they are not currently mandated because of the attacks that are real and were documented in&nbsp;<em>Time&nbsp;</em>magazine&rsquo;s &ldquo;<a href="http://time.com/time-person-of-the-year-2017-silence-breakers/" target="_blank">Person of the Year 2017: The Silence Breakers</a>&rdquo; issue and also noted in <a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/Blog/PostId/314/metoo-in-meetings-and-hospitality-whats-next" target="_blank">the January 2018 edition of Friday With Joan</a>.</p>
<p>Wildfires, drought, floods and other natural disasters; refugees crowded into camps; the United States proposing to deport hundreds of thousands of people among whom we are certain are people who work in hospitality jobs.</p>
<p>All of these people and issues occupy my thinking.</p>
<p>With all that as a backdrop, let&rsquo;s examine the extensive industry energy and conversations that are focused <a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/NewsEvents/IndustryNews/IndustryNewsDetails/ArticleID/31903" target="_blank">on Marriott&rsquo;s reduction of commission from 10 to 7 percent</a> for those who work solely or partially for commission from hotels.</p>
<p>It&rsquo;s a greater amount of energy than I&rsquo;ve seen directed toward the other issues.</p>
<p>First, some background and a disclaimer: I founded my meeting planning/consulting business, Eisenstodt Associates, LLC, in 1981 after working for an art museum, then full-time part of the year for a not-for-profit in D.C.</p>
<p>During off-time from the not-for-profit employment, I did contract meeting planning work for organizations in and outside D.C., my home base.</p>
<p>In all but one instance since then (when a client had already negotiated a rate with a rebate that would off-set fees from a third party and then hired my company), I have been paid hourly or daily or project fees from clients.</p>
<p>How did I determine what the source of payment would be?</p>
<p>When I started Eisenstodt Associates, LLC, I talked with others&mdash;there weren&rsquo;t many &ldquo;third parties&rdquo; or &ldquo;independent planners&rdquo; in 1981&mdash;and all, except one, with whom I spoke said they worked on a fee-for-service payment system.</p>
<p>It was a model that made sense to me and didn&rsquo;t present a conflict of interest, which proved to be a smart move in light of recent (and previous) events.</p>
<p>This blog post is not intended as legal or business advice.</p>
<p>It is opinion based on 40+ years in our industry and additional research. It is also based on my experience testifying as an expert witness in industry disputes and in a dispute in which I was directly involved, a situation where, had I not been paid fees versus commissions, there might have been a very different outcome.</p>
<p>Here&rsquo;s that story, illustrative of the commission versus&nbsp;fee dilemma:</p>
<p>In 1984 I was a defendant in a case that involved a canceled and relocated meeting, the site selection and contract negotiation for which were done by an in-house planner at the time the site was selected. The judge found that, though the suit was against the group, me individually and my company, I had nothing to gain <em>because I was not receiving commission or higher commission</em> as a result of the move of the meeting.</p>
<p>Thus the cases against me and against my company were thrown out.</p>
<p>Because of that and other experiences,&nbsp;I have, for years, on the issue of commission paid to third-party/independent planners or companies from hotels and other industry suppliers, <em>which is certainly not a new concern for our industry,</em> engaged in discussions.</p>
<p>Most recently, on the issue of the Marriott commission structure change, the discussions have been across social media, in interviews by numerous industry publications&mdash;including Meetings Today for which I write regular blog posts that are featured in a newsletter&mdash;and in conversations with people on different sides of this issue including various third-party models, attorneys, hoteliers and DMOs.</p>
<p>In fact, the discussion around the &ldquo;agency&rdquo; model of commission pay versus fees has been one on the list of futurists and others as a <em>model that is not sustainable</em>.</p>
<p>It even contributed to the demise of many travel companies.</p>
<p><strong><em>AND</em></strong> I get it&mdash;the anger and frustration &hellip; why a cut in one&rsquo;s projected income is a blow, in any situation. And while I understand the anger, I think that we are long overdue in discussing the model and even more overdue in showing how our segment of the hospitality industry has changed and why the commission model as we&rsquo;ve known it may be outdated.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Our industry has no standards of how one is to be paid; it has been left to individuals and their clients to figure out. Right, we cannot discuss specific fee-setting amounts. But the equity or appropriateness of commissions for <em>varied levels of services</em> is verboten except in private conversations ... in hushed tones especially when it is verified that someone will pay higher guest room rates or other costs because others received commission. Thus we each negotiate the scope of work, time and fees with clients directly.</p>
<p>While the voices are loud over a change in commission for some, I also know that no one has fought for those of us who work for fees&mdash;who conduct training (being told that instead of an appropriate honorarium we should &ldquo;do it for the exposure&rdquo;), select sites, design meetings, negotiate contracts and provide site management&mdash;to be paid what we&rsquo;re worth by clients versus&nbsp;depending on room pickup to determine what we earn.</p>
<p>Though I know I&rsquo;m not alone, it appears others that share my experiences and views on the problematic commission payment model for third-party planners are a minority.</p>
<p>Or at least, other than in a few examples I&rsquo;ve seen, many are not speaking up.</p>
<p>My objections to the Marriott commission brouhaha and boycott center on these key points:</p>
<p><strong>1. Not all third parties are equal:</strong> I&rsquo;ve seen the work of many who do site selection <em>only</em> and in fact, do only &quot;lead generation,&quot; and who are not providing other services such as contract negotiation, meeting management, on-site management, etc.</p>
<p>I know that not all third parties have contracts with their clients and thus are not protected or even smart in how they work. I know because I&rsquo;ve seen it&mdash;and been told by many&mdash;that people are in for a quick buck for even just recommending a property and expect to be paid and have found that being paid by hotels is a far easier way than doing more, such as contract negotiation.</p>
<p>(An incomparable example from years ago on an industry listserv: planners would post asking for recommendations of properties and third parties would copy the request, put it on letterhead and send to hotels <em>as if it were their client</em> and expect and receive commission for the lead generation).</p>
<p>Of course, it&rsquo;s not all and yet, it seems to be a growing number. Without standards of operation or adherence to industry ethics policies (see point 5), there is no regulation on how people operate.</p>
<p><strong>2.</strong> <strong>Legal and tax implications:</strong> As noted above, in the lawsuit in which I was involved as a defendant and in ones in which I&rsquo;ve testified, commission can clarify or cloud the outcome. If it appears that one is making more as a result of a commission because a meeting cancels and moves or one hotel is selected over another because the commission is greater, it can if not in fact, in appearance, be a conflict of interest.</p>
<p>In talking with a third party that accepts commission and then rebates some or all to the client, I was curious about the tax (and ethical and legal) implications for both parties. The initial recipient of the (usually) larger amount is taxed on that amount. Those to whom a portion of that amount is rebated, are taxed on the lesser amount.</p>
<p>It&rsquo;s not &quot;free money&quot;&nbsp;in any case.</p>
<p>In talking with <a href="http://www.grimeslaw.org/about/joshua-grimes/" target="_blank">Josh Grimes, Esq.</a>, an attorney on the group side for our industry, he said: &ldquo;<em>In terms of the boycott, I suppose that planners can do what they want.</em></p>
<p><em>&ldquo;But if they are going to ignore Marriott [properties] in favor of other properties that pay higher commission, then planners may have an ethical and legal (i.e., remember Sarbanes-Oxley &ndash; SOX &ndash; accountability rules?) obligation to let their clients know that they aren&#39;t going to evaluate properties solely on the basis of what&#39;s best for the client, but that planner compensation will also be a factor.</em></p>
<p><em>&ldquo;The client ought to consent to this different way of sourcing properties.</em></p>
<p><em>&ldquo;I remember the days when I did SOX presentations, when planners rejected any notion that some might choose one property over another based upon the amount of commission paid. I was told repeatedly that professional meeting planners would never let commissions be a factor,&rdquo; he added. &quot;It appears that something has changed.</em>&rdquo;</p>
<p>Lastly, I fear that with the deadline of March 31, 2018, for contract signing (when Marriott will pay less commission to some third parties than they had been), there will be rushed, bad contracts. Is there anyone still in the industry who doesn&rsquo;t know what happens when contracts are rushed?</p>
<p>&ldquo;Do-overs&rdquo; are not easy when the terms are not well vetted.</p>
<p><strong>3. Professionalism:</strong> Some have said that by paying some third parties less it means we are not well-regarded as professionals. C&rsquo;mon! We have, sadly, never been.</p>
<p>And though platforms of various organizations have demanded we work harder at getting a &ldquo;seat at the table&rdquo;, by demanding commissions versus the seat, we are <em>demeaning ourselves into commodities not professionals</em>.&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>4.</strong> <strong>Boycotts: </strong>When a number of groups, including some of the clients with whom I work (and PCMA pre-emptively for Texas), said they would boycott cities or hotel companies or cancel meetings over the anti-transgender aka &ldquo;bathroom bill&rdquo; or other like civil and human rights policies and laws, there was much pooh-poohing that we were hurting cities, hotels and workers who were most impacted.</p>
<p>Somehow the &ldquo;Say No to Marriott&rdquo;&mdash;or #SayNotoMarriott if you&rsquo;re on social media&mdash;boycott movement that is entirely about finances is acceptable.</p>
<p>In the case of the principle of cutting commissions to all but a few companies, it may in fact be principle. It is not being positioned as such.</p>
<p><strong>5. Ethical implications: </strong>One of the organizations at the forefront of the protest about this change in commission amount does not have an ethics policy for its members though I, a past Chair of ASAE&rsquo;s Ethics Committee, offered to help write one and the offer was refused&nbsp;(If I&rsquo;m incorrect and one was created, my apologies. I couldn&rsquo;t find it. Please provide the link in the comments).</p>
<p>Excerpts from major meeting and event industry organizations&rsquo; ethics policies could impact how the boycott of one brand is perceived:</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.eventscouncil.org/CMP/AboutCMP/Ethics.aspx" target="_blank">CMP Code of Conduct/Ethics</a> is similar to others. In the CMP Code it says:</p>
<p>&ldquo;As a recipient of the CMP designation by the Events Industry Council (&lsquo;Certificant&rsquo;), a CMP must pledge to&hellip;</p>
<p>&ldquo;Never use my position for <strong><em>undue personal gain*</em></strong> and promptly disclose to appropriate parties all potential and actual conflicts of interest.&rdquo;</p>
<p><a href="https://www.mpiweb.org/docs/default-source/about-mpi-reports-more/principles-of-professionalism.pdf?sfvrsn=eb567130_2" target="_blank">MPI&rsquo;s Principles of Professionalism</a> says this in the first section:</p>
<p>&ldquo;<strong><em>Avoid actions which are or could be perceived as a conflict of interest or for individual gain</em></strong>&rdquo;<strong><em>*</em></strong></p>
<p><a href="https://www.pcma.org/about/principals-of-professional-and-ethical-conduct/" target="_blank">PCMA&rsquo;s Principles of Professional and Ethical Conduct</a> has among its principles:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong><em>Respect the policies and regulations*</em></strong> of those organizations with whom I deal.</li>
<li><strong><em>Refuse</em></strong> inappropriate gifts, <strong><em>incentives</em></strong> and/or services in any business dealings that may be offered as a result of my position and <strong><em>could be perceived as personal gain</em></strong>.*</li>
<li><strong><em>Avoid any and all conflicts of interest*</em></strong> and advise all parties, including my organization, of any situations where a conflict of interest exists.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong><em>* </em></strong>Emphasis is the blog author&rsquo;s.</p>
<p>There are also ethical and business implications for those cities and properties marketing higher-than-Marriott&rsquo;s new commission and the &ldquo;woo-hooing&rdquo; of such offers on social media. How sustainable will this be?</p>
<p>Will these offers be applied across the board to all third parties? What about groups that have internal planners and want a <em>discount</em> that would reflect what a commissionable agent would receive? Or want a rebate to equal what others might receive?</p>
<p>Or an internal planner who doing the same work a third-party might do believing they are due perks for the work?</p>
<p>I think the waters are being muddied even more with these offers.</p>
<p><strong>6. Do what you say: </strong>I&rsquo;m mainly looking at the third parties who have always maintained that they do not book based on what they make in commission and instead book based on what is best for the client. If one rules out an entire company&mdash;or is it the ownership of hotels or the management companies as well as the brand?&mdash;because the person or company booking isn&rsquo;t making enough, then can this be true?</p>
<p><strong>7. When other hotel brands or owners follow suit: </strong>What then? Will there be a boycott of all brands? Will only brands&mdash;or owners of particular hotels who agree to pay the highest commission be considered? &nbsp;</p>
<p><em>Can</em> a sustainable business model for brands and owners be groups who use a commissionable agent <em>plus</em> a housing company that receives a share of the room rate <em>plus</em> groups who want rebates to off-set their costs <em>plus</em> concessions that, in fact are not &quot;free&quot;&nbsp;but have a dollar value? When and where will it stop?</p>
<p>I understand economics and earning a living and the arguments in favor of the &ldquo;trickle-down&rdquo; effect as it relates here&mdash;those who don&rsquo;t earn more can&rsquo;t employ others or spend more to grow the economy. But where then, is the outcry for a higher minimum wage for those in our industry, especially for back-of-the-house workers and servers?</p>
<p>Some have cited the new U.S. tax laws and Marriott&rsquo;s profitability as a reason they should pay third parties more or at least what they were paying. Why should commissionable agents receive more than those doing the, literal, heavy lifting in hotels? Or is it that some want everyone paid and the owners and brands to take the hit?</p>
<p><strong><em>Could Marriott have handled this differently? </em></strong></p>
<p>You betcha! <em>IF</em> instead of a letter sent without, it seems, warning, there had been conversations (which it appears there were not or at least not that anyone is disclosing) with large and small third parties to discuss this.</p>
<p><em>IF</em> owners (where is <a href="https://www.ahla.com/">AHLA&rsquo;s</a> voice?) were saying what we think they must be&mdash;that they are demanding greater ROI, would that matter to the protesting voices?</p>
<p>Or is this back to let them take the hit&mdash;they are getting tax breaks?</p>
<p><em>IF</em> this had been applied across the board and not exempting four companies, who have allegedly been granted an exclusion from the commission cut until 2020, would it have been more palatable?</p>
<p><em>IF</em> those 4 companies said &ldquo;whoa&mdash;let&rsquo;s do this across the board versus just for some&rdquo; because &quot;what&#39;s good for all is best for the industry&quot; would this have been more acceptable?</p>
<p>Is it that those who are contractors for some of these companies, especially among those exempted, and groused before about their smaller share of total commission and now will get even less, adding fuel to this fire?</p>
<p>Is a boycott for financial reasons for oneself now Kosher?</p>
<p>Really. I am trying to understand all the different viewpoints ... and how the focus is so much on this issue and not on, say, Puerto Rico and the suffering of so many including many in our industry. I&rsquo;m seeking answers and ethics versus rancor.</p>
<p><strong><em>I know this is a tough topic and that you may want to contribute comments and prefer to do so anonymously. Comment below&nbsp;and if you prefer to comment anonymously, please send your comments to me at </em><a href="mailto:FridayWithJoan@aol.com?subject=Friday%20With%20Joan%2002.02.18%20Planner%20Commissions%20Commentary">FridayWithJoan@aol.com</a><em> and I promise to add to the discussion here and to ensure your privacy by, as always, not disclosing your identify to anyone.</em></strong></p>
<p>Finally, here are some additional resources for planners to consider when confronting&nbsp;issues of ethics, payment and more:</p>
<p><strong>How to Network and Ethically Do Business in a Relationship Industry</strong><br />
<a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/Blog/PostId/306/how-to-network-and-ethically-do-business-in-a-relationship-industry" target="_blank">https://www.meetingstoday.com/Blog/PostId/306/how-to-network-and-ethically-do-business-in-a-relationship-industry</a></p>
<p><strong>&lsquo;Ethical Negotiation&rsquo; &ndash; An Oxymoron?</strong><br />
<a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/Blog/PostId/288/ethical-negotiations-an-oxymoron" target="_blank">https://www.meetingstoday.com/Blog/PostId/288/ethical-negotiations-an-oxymoron</a></p>
<p><strong>What&rsquo;s Wrong With Hotel Contracts?</strong><br />
<a href="http://www.meetingstoday.com/newsletters/friday_with_joan/2016_08_05.html" target="_blank">http://www.meetingstoday.com/newsletters/friday_with_joan/2016_08_05.html</a></p>
<p><strong>Seven Keys to Hotel Contract Success</strong><br />
<a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/Magazines/ArticleDetails/RegionID/0/ArticleID/28848" target="_blank">https://www.meetingstoday.com/Magazines/ArticleDetails/RegionID/0/ArticleID/28848</a></p>
<p><strong>Is the Meetings Industry Corrupt?</strong><br />
<a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/Blog/PostId/191/is-our-industry-corrupt" target="_blank">https://www.meetingstoday.com/Blog/PostId/191/is-our-industry-corrupt</a></p>
<p><strong>When Laws and Meetings Collide: Go, Stay or Boycott?</strong><br />
<a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/Blog/PostId/280/when-laws-and-meetings-intersect-go-stay-or-boycott" target="_blank">https://www.meetingstoday.com/Blog/PostId/280/when-laws-and-meetings-intersect-go-stay-or-boycott</a></p>
<p><strong>Contracts: Accommodations (Meetings Today Webinar)</strong><br />
<a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/News-Events/Event-Details/ItemID/4093" target="_blank">https://www.meetingstoday.com/News-Events/Event-Details/ItemID/4093</a></p>
<p><strong>Contracts: Critical Clauses (Meetings Today Webinar)</strong><br />
<a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/News-Events/Event-Details/ItemID/4091" target="_blank">https://www.meetingstoday.com/News-Events/Event-Details/ItemID/4091</a></p>
<p><em>Editors&#39; Note: The views expressed by contributing bloggers are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Meetings Today or its parent company.</em></p>
<p><em>Additionally, the information provided within the Meetings Today Blog is done so with the understanding that the writers are not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional services or advice through the distribution of the content or ideas that are presented here and elsewhere. If expert assistance is required, the services of a professional should be sought and contracted.</em></p>
<p><strong><a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/newsletters/friday_with_joan/2018_02_02.html" target="_blank">Click here to view additional content in the 02.02.18&nbsp;Friday With Joan newsletter.​</a></strong></p>
<div class="author-section">
<p><strong>Posted by Joan L. Eisenstodt</strong></p>
<p><img alt="" src="/Portals/0/Blog/JoanEisenstodt_headshot_ver2.jpg" /></p>
<p><strong>Follow Joan on Twitter: </strong><a href="https://twitter.com/joaneisenstodt" target="_blank">@joaneisenstodt</a></p>
</div>
316#MeToo in Meetings and Hospitality: What's Next?https://www.meetingstoday.com/blog/postid/314/metoo-in-meetings-and-hospitality-whats-nextCareer Advice,Diversity & Inclusion,Hospitality,Hotels,Industry Advocacy,SpeakersFri, 05 Jan 2018 17:15:19 GMT<p>I remember receiving a call years ago from someone important in our industry threatening me and my business if I were to dare speak of something about which I knew nothing about until the call. This person was threatening me based on an incident about which it was believed I&rsquo;d spoken.</p>
<p>I remember the appointment with a new doctor whose exam of me seemed &ldquo;not right&rdquo; and the looks on the nurses&rsquo; faces but I didn&rsquo;t know what to expect, so I said nothing. And I remember so many other incidents as do you&mdash;as someone who experienced them or as someone who was the perpetrator.</p>
<p>The current wave of accusations of sexual and other harassment in the workplace and at meetings are not new. This research paper from 1998, titled <a href="http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.850.778&amp;rep=rep1&amp;type=pdf" target="_blank">Sexual Harassment Issues in the Hospitality Industry</a> by David Gilbert, Yvonne Guerrier and Jonathan Guy, may very well verify what the informal poll numbers, and, separately Meetings Today&mdash;through <a href="https://goo.gl/forms/ObGNb9oGfAVWn9RD2" target="_blank">the January 2018 Friday With Joan newsletter poll</a>&mdash;will find.</p>
<p>Yet we begin the new year where we left the old: discussing harassment and bullying with the daily breaking stories including this one&mdash;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-12-14/companies-hit-by-sex-misconduct-target-the-dreaded-holiday-party" target="_blank">Companies Hit by Sex Misconduct Target the Dreaded Holiday Party</a>&mdash;published at the end of the last year, from Bloomberg, about the impact on holiday parties amid fear of allegations of harassment, stating that if alcohol were limited, it would cut down on harassment.</p>
<p>And then there&rsquo;s some of you who may have even considered, while planning &ldquo;holiday&rdquo; gatherings, whether to play &ldquo;Baby It&rsquo;s Cold Outside&rdquo; in light of the #MeToo era, as discussed <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/act-four/wp/2017/12/20/baby-its-cold-outside-can-and-should-survive-the-metoo-era/?utm_term=.91d1801da649" target="_blank">in this recent <em>Washington Post </em>article</a>.</p>
<p>While alcohol and song lyrics may contribute to thoughts of harassment, they do not cause it. Power is what spurs people to harass others. I asked, among those in hospitality social media groups, for their stories.</p>
<p>These are (edited for length and to eliminate identifiers) some of the stories I received.</p>
<p><strong>From a meeting planner:</strong> WOW! As I read [other articles] it is so reminiscent of what our team went through. The entire staff complained to the Board about our supervisor&rsquo;s verbal abuse.</p>
<p>We were sent to what might be called &ldquo;team therapy.&rdquo; At the end of the session, the facilitator announced who the person&mdash;in attendance!&mdash;who caused the harassment was and about whom the complaint was made. The verbal abuse grew much worse. Jobs at my level were hard to find so I kept working even when others left.</p>
<p>I was finally fired with no reason given.</p>
<p><strong>From a meeting vendor:</strong> I had a boss sexually harass me in front of several people at a job retreat at which there had been lots of drinking all day and I was clad only in a swimsuit. I was asked to sign a paper saying I would not discuss the incident.</p>
<p>I don&#39;t think it was really a sexual thing with him. Much like [many of the more famous people accused], it was a power play. Hookers can be hired for sexual desires, but power is real the driver. They can do what they want to their employees.</p>
<p>After he did what he did to me, a co-worker sitting next to me said. &quot;Don&#39;t be mad. It is like a dog humping your leg.&quot; I will never forget that comment. Like he does this to everyone and he is the boss. Like what they said about Charlie Rose.</p>
<p>&quot;That is Charlie being Charlie.&quot;</p>
<p>The other owner of the company came to my office, and closed the door and [asked], &quot;How much money do you want to make this go away?&quot; I told him I didn&#39;t want money.</p>
<p>This company [then went] through my emails to try to find something on me and fired me. I then got a lawyer who said it was a moot point (to try to argue [against] this).</p>
<p><strong>From a (now) third-party contractor:</strong> My first experience [with harassment] happened when I was very young and starting out in the industry. I was physically attacked on an elevator at a major convention hotel in the city I represented. The attacker was a prominent person with an association that was considering our city for their meeting. What was so shocking is after it happened was that my boss at the time required me to continue working with this group. I was young and naïve; I did as I was told.</p>
<p>I eventually left that job and returned to the same organization years later. This was all before computer records. The paper files of the incident were gone.</p>
<p>No actions were taken against the attacker.</p>
<p><strong>From a third party:</strong> A couple years ago I was sexually harassed and because I&rsquo;m an independent contractor, I was told there was nothing I could do legally even though I told the company to whom I contracted about it. The client was a big one and important to the company [for the revenue it produced]. The complaint resulted in the client leaving the company and because there was no contract with the client, there was nothing that could be done to support me or to bring in the revenue from which I&rsquo;d also benefit.</p>
<p>After a few days of discussing what happened with my family and friends, a decision was made to inform [the harasser&rsquo;s] supervisors. There was never a response from them; he continues to work there. I still enjoy working independently but having more support would be nice.</p>
<p><strong>From a meeting planner:</strong> I unfortunately have a story to tell. Mine is slightly different: my boss harassed me in front of colleagues for being a nursing mother.</p>
<p>We were on site at our annual meeting and the boss made various comments regarding me nursing my child while at the meeting. Because of this, I no longer felt I could trust this person and was uncomfortable in other situations. I explained it to this person and nothing changed. I told HR and nothing happened. So I quit.</p>
<p>This issue of bullying touches on hot topics: breastfeeding, working mothers, mom-shaming. I&#39;ve been trying to figure out how else I can share my story and help support other working mothers because our industry is unique with the amount of travel we have to do.</p>
<p><strong>From a corporate planner:</strong> In a new job in a small company, one of the bosses, while we were alone in the office, asked me into his office. He asked me to sit on his knee. He said if I didn&rsquo;t, he&rsquo;d fire me. I didn&rsquo;t [sit on his knee] and he did [fire me].</p>
<p>I was still new and needed the job and no, I didn&rsquo;t take further action and wish I had.</p>
<p><strong>From a planner: </strong>I was in a large North American city about to begin a two-day conference. The night before the start of the conference, as was the company&rsquo;s practice, there was a private dinner for speakers. When the dinner concluded, I went to my room, did some work, and got ready for bed. The phone in my room rang. I answered to hear one of the speakers say he wanted to give me his presentation so that it was off his plate before the morning presentations. He asked me to come to his room. Not thinking this was deceitful, I groaned to myself because I had to get dressed respectfully. I slipped into my usual conference &ldquo;uniform&rdquo;&mdash;a business suit I&rsquo;d worn for dinner&mdash;even putting on pantyhose. I knocked on the speaker&rsquo;s door. I was greeted by this person holding an open bottle of wine covering his genitals and wearing nothing except a smile on his face.</p>
<p>He invited me in.</p>
<p>As I turned to quickly get back away, he shouted &ldquo;if you don&rsquo;t come in and &lsquo;come across,&rsquo; I&rsquo;m not speaking tomorrow.&rdquo; Obviously I left, yelling back that I was going to tell my boss. I got to my room, quite shaken and eventually fell into a restless sleep.</p>
<p>The next day, I wasn&rsquo;t as full of self-confidence as I hoped I looked. Once my boss got there, I explained the situation.&nbsp; He was obviously (imagine if he wasn&rsquo;t?) on my side. We put a panel in place in case this speaker didn&rsquo;t show. The speaker did show up but never apologized to me. He never spoke for the organization again.</p>
<p>If this were to happen today, I&rsquo;d immediate advise security [of the incident that occurred] and ask them to keep an eye on my room. I&rsquo;d complete an incident report for the hotel and for my employer.</p>
<p>I&rsquo;d call a meeting very quickly with my boss and ensure security was around the event.</p>
<p><em>This marks the final story presented here sharing real examples of sexual harassment.</em></p>
<p>What constitutes harassment was a question on my mind when I traveled, in December, to visit a hospitalized family member. After &ldquo;one of those days&rdquo; of awful travel (via O&rsquo;Hare International Airport, instead of my canceled non-stop flight), I arrived at the hospital, exhausted, during a snow storm, and walked slowly toward the entrance. The valet parking attendant offered a wheelchair. I readily agreed.</p>
<p>He put his hand on my shoulder, squeezed it, and said &ldquo;You&rsquo;ll be OK.&rdquo; I was comforted and appreciative and only later thought &ldquo;should I be? Is this a type of not asking if it were OK to touch me?&rdquo; Really! In that setting, when I was in need of <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/wired-success/201503/8-reasons-why-we-need-human-touch-more-ever" target="_blank">the comfort of touch</a>, which is considered healing, I questioned it.</p>
<p>All because of the endless allegations of sexual harassment.</p>
<p>Despite statements from industry associations <a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/NewsEvents/IndustryNews/IndustryNewsDetails/RegionID/0/ArticleID/31577" target="_blank">such as this one from MPI</a>, shared by Meetings Today, and <a href="http://www.pcmaconvene.org/features/heres-what-to-include-in-your-meetings-harassment-policy/" target="_blank">this article</a>, from PCMA Convene, our industry has been remarkably quiet about these issues, until recently.</p>
<p><strong>Update:</strong> Here&rsquo;s <a href="http://www.pcmaconvene.org/plenary/special-report/sexual-harassment-meetings-industry/" target="_blank">another related article</a> published by PCMA Convene.</p>
<p>And then there&rsquo;s also this, from the American Hotel &amp; Lodging Association (AHLA), a statement sent to me with permission to publish after I reached out to them on the issue: <em>&ldquo;The hotel and lodging industry has made the safety of both employees and guests a top priority. For this reason, our properties have in place safety standards, our employees receive comprehensive and ongoing trainings, and AHLA has partnered with nationally recognized non-profits and developed tailored trainings for the industry.</em></p>
<p><em>&ldquo;As headlines over recent weeks have shown, no industry is immune to dealing with sexual harassment. Our industry has in place procedures and protocols for employees around reporting and prevention, and these are continuously reviewed and updated. As an industry, we will continue our work, day in and day out, with a focus on ensuring America&rsquo;s hotels are secure places for all those who work and visit them.&rdquo;</em></p>
<p>Sexual and other forms of harassment and bullying have been whispered about for as many years as I&rsquo;ve been in this industry and from what I hear from those older than I, for much longer. More prevalent is sexual and other harassment <a href="https://www.npr.org/2017/11/25/566438853/hospitality-workers-and-sexual-harassment" target="_blank">in the broader hospitality industry</a> of which meetings are a part.</p>
<p>It hadn&rsquo;t escaped me when, in October, <a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/Article-Details/RegionID/0/ArticleID/31534" target="_blank">I interviewed Dr. Vivek H. Murthy</a>&mdash;the immediate past U.S. Surgeon General&mdash;and wrote about the importance of creating welcoming environments at meetings to help curb the loneliness epidemic that clearly, those welcoming environments should be appropriate.</p>
<p>I think the stories I received from a variety of people are the tip of the iceberg. Like with politics, media, and entertainment, and with <a href="http://www.kansascity.com/news/business/article191169924.html" target="_blank">the publication of allegations against one DMO (aka CVB) CEO</a> [for which we&rsquo;ve not found updated information since this was published, <a href="http://www.inboundreport.com/2018/01/02/harassment-charges-create-headache-for-visit-kcs-ceo/" target="_blank">outside of a refusal by participants of a closed door meeting to comment</a>], one wonders if more allegations will come forth. Or will the fear of job loss, like <a href="https://nyti.ms/2oLFdpI" target="_blank">what the women at Ford Motor Company experienced</a>, keep people from speaking out?</p>
<p>What should happen next? Will your organization, if it hasn&rsquo;t yet done so, create a code of <em>enforceable</em> conduct in the workplace and for meetings and conferences? Will you report or intervene when you see harassment happening to someone else?</p>
<p>If it happens to you, what will you do&mdash;especially if you know your job could be on the line and you can&rsquo;t afford to lose it? Will there be a demand that such conduct will not be tolerated and if so, what would the consequences be? Will groups ask in their site and vendor selection RFPs about sexual harassment suits or allegations and their settlement and policies, and determine not to book meetings in potentially hostile environments? Will members, staff, or customers who act against policy be terminated?</p>
<p>I know that too few of us were aware of <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/plaza-hotel-employees-file-sexual-harassment-lawsuit/ar-AApPZNx" target="_blank">the lawsuit by employees of The Plaza in New York</a> or the housekeeper at the resort in California, both of which were featured, with the women who spoke out, in <em>Time </em>magazine&rsquo;s &ldquo;<a href="http://time.com/time-person-of-the-year-2017-silence-breakers/" target="_blank">Person of the Year 2017: The Silence Breakers</a>&rdquo; issue, even though we knew <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/dec/10/dominique-strauss-kahn-case-settled" target="_blank">the actions of Dominique Strauss-Kahn</a> and tut-tutted but there was no general outcry then as there is now for people who work in hotels or those of us who plan meeting or market and sell space and services.</p>
<p>Two colleagues, Ben Yalow and Sherry Marts, have offered examples of policies their organizations offer on handling bullying and harassment.</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.boskone.org/about/code-of-conduct/" target="_blank">Boskone&rsquo;s Code of Conduct</a> [courtesy of Ben Yalow].</li>
<li><a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51a662bde4b06440a1627b96/t/5a42d4309140b74c01360cbc/1514329138620/Model+Staff+Procedure+for+Handling+Harassment.pdf" target="_blank">Smarts Consulting Staff Procedure</a> [courtesy of Sherry Marts].</li>
</ul>
<p>As I finished writing this blog, there are more important developments to note, in particular the&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/TIMESUPNOW" target="_blank">@TIMESUPNOW</a>&nbsp;movement because it says its aim is to help those who, like Ford&rsquo;s line workers and hotel housekeepers, may not have the financial and other resources to support their reporting of abuses.</p>
<p>Read more on the Time&rsquo;s Up movement <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/01/02/575015103/hollywood-women-launch-initiative-to-stop-sexual-harassment" target="_blank">in this article from NPR</a>. This <a href="https://hbr.org/2017/12/why-sexual-harassment-persists-and-what-organizations-can-do-to-stop-it" target="_blank">article from <em>Harvard Business Review</em></a> is about why harassment persists and how to stop it. This is about the <a href="https://www.theroot.com/how-sexual-harassment-silences-black-women-in-the-workp-1821443472" target="_blank">impact on black women of harassment and reporting it.</a> &nbsp;And this from the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/get-there/wp/2017/11/30/why-dont-women-talk-about-harassment-they-are-afraid-to-lose-their-jobs/?utm_term=.217fe92bfc8e" target="_blank"><em>Washington Post&rsquo;s </em>Michelle Singletary about the fear of job loss in reporting harassment </a>is insightful.</p>
<p>Even U.S. Supreme Court Justice Roberts said <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/chief-justice-roberts-says-courts-will-examine-protections-against-sexual-harassment/2017/12/31/94a55d00-ee40-11e7-97bf-bba379b809ab_story.html?utm_term=.605be4702159" target="_blank">courts will examine protections against sexual harassment</a>. There is much to consider when one decides the next steps.</p>
<p>Allegations without actions will change nothing. Read what Sherry Marts and Jessica Pettitt have to say<a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/Article-Details/RegionID/0/ArticleID/31816" target="_blank"> in the January 2018 Friday With Joan sidebar</a>.</p>
<p>Share your story below or if you&rsquo;d prefer, I promise confidentiality, and I will, if you write to me at <a href="mailto:FridaywithJoan@aol.com?subject=Friday%20With%20Joan%20January%202018%20%23MeToo%20in%20Meetings%20and%20Hospitality">FridaywithJoan@aol.com</a>, change any identifiers and post here for others to learn. If your employer or clients have policies to combat harassment in the workplace <em>and especially at meetings or events</em>, please, if permitted, share the links.</p>
<p>We can change the culture if we speak up and act.</p>
<p><em>Editors&#39; Note: The views expressed by contributing bloggers are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Meetings Today or its parent company.</em></p>
<p><strong><a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/newsletters/friday_with_joan/2018_01_05.html" target="_blank">Click here to view additional content in the 01.05.18&nbsp;Friday With Joan newsletter.​</a></strong></p>
<div class="author-section">
<p><strong>Posted by Joan L. Eisenstodt</strong></p>
<p><img alt="" src="/Portals/0/Blog/JoanEisenstodt_headshot_ver2.jpg" /></p>
<p><strong>Follow Joan on Twitter: </strong><a href="https://twitter.com/joaneisenstodt" target="_blank">@joaneisenstodt</a></p>
</div>
31418 Questions to End One Year and Begin a New Onehttps://www.meetingstoday.com/blog/postid/313/18-questions-to-end-one-year-and-begin-a-new-oneADA,CSR,Diversity & Inclusion,Education,Future Forecasting,Hospitality,Hotels,Sustainable Meetings,TradeshowsThu, 21 Dec 2017 01:00:56 GMT<p>Were you expecting predictions for the coming year?</p>
<p>2017 has been so tumultuous for the world and for our industry that it seems futile to try to predict what&rsquo;s to come. Oh yes, futurists, economists and others are doing so.</p>
<p>A search for our industry&rsquo;s future turned up lots of predictions, mainly for hotel owners and operators, restaurants, etc. To search, I used &ldquo;predictions for hospitality industry for 2018&rdquo; and suggest you do the same. I also hope you will continue to follow the Meetings Today newsletters, daily print and digital news, and <a href="https://twitter.com/meetingstoday" target="_blank">@meetingstoday</a> on Twitter to see what will happen in the year ahead and beyond&mdash;no one can say with 100% certainty.</p>
<p>I am left with questions again this year&mdash;some serious and some more mundane, in no particular order&mdash;about what we do, how we do it, and why, and what will be. I hope you&rsquo;ll add your questions and perhaps your predictions, hopes, dreams for our industry and for you in the comments section at the end of this blog post.</p>
<p>Here&rsquo;s what I&rsquo;m wondering:</p>
<p>1. Why do hotels put signs in bathrooms stating &ldquo;if one wants to reuse towels to hang the towels up&rdquo; &hellip; and then have no bars on which to hang them?</p>
<p>2. In what ways can we convince hotels that an ADA room is not necessarily what a person who is deaf or hard of hearing or otherwise in need of accommodation wants?</p>
<p>3. How do we convince hotels, convention centers, and even some conference centers (<a href="http://www.iacconline.org/">IACC</a>&nbsp;please also&nbsp;take note!) that using <a href="http://http/www.thrival.com/store" target="_blank">&ldquo;Seating Matters&rdquo;</a>* by <a href="http://www.thrival.com/meet-paul-radde/bio" target="_blank">Paul Radde, Ph.D</a>., so that rooms not set in straight rows (of chairs or tables) make more sense?</p>
<p>4. In what ways will meetings be more accommodating for people with mobility and other disabilities?</p>
<p>5. Similarly, when will airports and airlines and you, TSA and <a href="https://www.tsa.gov/precheck" target="_blank">TSA PreCheck</a> in particular, follow their own policies to ensure equal and appropriate treatment for people with disabilities?</p>
<p>6. Which groups and which professions will continue to include discussion throughout educational sessions at meetings versus having aisle mics with &ldquo;Q&amp;A at the end&rdquo;?</p>
<p>7. Which hotel companies and cities will implement greater safety for their staff, housekeepers in particular [watch for upcoming January 2018 edition of <a href="file:///C:/Users/Eric.Andersen/Desktop/https/www.meetingstoday.com/newsletters/friday_with_joan/current.html" target="_blank">Friday With Joan</a>], to protect them against sexual and other predatory behavior from internal and external guests?</p>
<p>8. Will room service really end, even at hotels advertised as &ldquo;high end&rdquo; or &ldquo;luxury,&rdquo; and will it be replaced by dinner in disposable containers delivered in paper bags?</p>
<p>9. Who, in the broader hospitality industry, will model what <a href="https://www.worldcentralkitchen.org/what-we-do" target="_blank">Chef José Andrés and his foundation</a> have done in Puerto Rico, Houston, Haiti and elsewhere to help others, and when?</p>
<p>10. What will be the maximum in added fees that airlines and hotels tack on before consumers and groups say &ldquo;Enough! We&rsquo;ll pay higher rates to not be nickel-and-dimed&rdquo;?</p>
<p>11. In what ways will meetings and tradeshows change to make them as experiential as everyone says they should be and <em>for all people including those with cognitive and other different abilities</em>?</p>
<p>12. What policies will be enacted by the U.S. government and/or U.S. President Trump to further restrict who can work in our industry and attend and speak at our&nbsp;meetings?</p>
<p>13. In addition to <em>Meetings Today</em> and other industry-specific publications, what will you add to your reading and listening to be more informed about world events and their impact on who we are and what we do?</p>
<p>14. Will meeting professionals (you choose who&rsquo;s in that category) gain greater respect, recognition and pay for what we do? What will cause it to happen?</p>
<p>15. In what ways will sustainability&mdash;beyond &ldquo;no handouts&rdquo; (<em>still!</em>, <a href="file:///C:/Users/Eric.Andersen/Desktop/https/www.npr.org/2016/04/17/474525392/attention-students-put-your-laptops-away" target="_blank">regardless of research</a> and <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/can-handwriting-make-you-smarter-1459784659" target="_blank">this article</a> noting that many learn better writing notes on paper, whether that paper is from trees or other sources)&mdash;be implemented in hospitality and for meetings?</p>
<p>16. How will multiple generations at meetings and in the workplace learn to get along <a href="https://nyti.ms/2k24FlY" target="_blank">since those in the Boomers, Silent and GI generations aren&rsquo;t retiring</a>?</p>
<p>17. What are your top three (3) subjects to learn about or expand your knowledge of in the coming year?</p>
<p>18. Who will be the first well-known hospitality or meetings industry person to be charged with sexual harassment and what will happen as a result?</p>
<p>(Stay tuned for the next <a href="file:///C:/Users/Eric.Andersen/Desktop/https/www.meetingstoday.com/newsletters/friday_with_joan/current.html" target="_blank">Friday With Joan</a> on Friday, Jan. 5, 2018, for more on this).</p>
<p>So there you have it, my partial list of questions to end one year and begin the next. Help expand the list. It&rsquo;s known that the <a href="https://globaldigitalcitizen.org/the-importance-and-impact-of-asking-good-questions" target="_blank">more and better questions we ask</a> the greater and more informed what we know and do will be. And don&rsquo;t forget about the great facilitation techniques of <a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/newsletters/friday_with_joan/2017_12_01.html" target="_blank">&ldquo;tell me more&rdquo; and &ldquo;yes, and&hellip;&rdquo;</a>&nbsp;to help you on your journey.</p>
<p>Thank you for reading this, for communicating with me, for being part of a dynamic industry that can change the world. Thank you to the editors at Meetings Today and in particular to Eric Andersen (who better not edit this out!) and Scott Easton (ditto) for the great editing and design work to ensure a readable newsletter each month and to Tyler Davidson for his example of asking good questions.</p>
<p><em>Editor&rsquo;s Note: I didn&rsquo;t edit out your thanks, Joan! Also: Added thanks to Kristi Kidd, in addition to Scott, for her design work&nbsp;on Friday With Joan and her patience and positive attitude.</em></p>
<p>My wish for each of us and for our world is that we all may show and/or share and have access to kindness, compassion, good health, affordable housing and childcare, food on all tables, tables on which to put food and a roof over every head (this is especially for you, Puerto Rico!), and inclusion of all whether it&#39;s at meetings or elsewhere.</p>
<p><em>Additional Editor&rsquo;s Note: The views expressed by contributing bloggers are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Meetings Today or its parent company.</em></p>
<p>*Disclaimer: I wrote the foreword for Paul Radde&rsquo;s book, &ldquo;Seating Matters&rdquo; and received no compensation for that nor do I receive compensation for promoting Paul.</p>
<div>
<p><strong>Posted by Joan L. Eisenstodt</strong></p>
<p><img alt="" src="/Portals/0/Blog/JoanEisenstodt_headshot_ver2.jpg" /></p>
<p><strong>Follow Joan on Twitter:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://twitter.com/joaneisenstodt" target="_blank">@joaneisenstodt</a></p>
</div>
3134 Ways to Strengthen Your Negotiating Skillshttps://www.meetingstoday.com/blog/postid/312/4-ways-a-bonus-to-strengthen-your-negotiating-skillsCareer Advice,Hospitality,Meeting Planning 101,negotiationsFri, 01 Dec 2017 17:03:51 GMT<p>&ldquo;Unless you wake up in the morning with a script next to your bed and on that script is everything you&rsquo;ll say and do and everything those with whom you will interact will say and do, you&rsquo;re doing improv(isation).&rdquo; &ndash; Izzy Gesell*</p>
<p>Hold that thought.</p>
<p>Because right now, December, it&rsquo;s that most awful time of the year (sorry Mr. Pola and Mr. Wyle&mdash;<a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=song+it%27s+the+most+wonderful+time+of+the+year&amp;rlz=1C1GGRV_enUS751US751&amp;oq=Song+It%27s+that+Most+Wonderful&amp;aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0l5.5863j0j7&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8" target="_blank">you did it better</a>), when groups and hotels, in particular, are champing at the bit to get year-end contracts signed.</p>
<p>Sadly, when negotiations are rushed&mdash;whether month or quarter-end or in particular, year-end&mdash;they are negatively impacted and we end up with a product (contract) that may or may not reflect the intentions and understanding of the parties to the contract(s). Ideal negotiations involve patient listening and responding that moves the discussion forward in a productive fashion.</p>
<p>Added to the complications of rushed negotiations are the phrases &ldquo;It&rsquo;s our policy&rdquo; (or &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not our policy&rdquo;), &ldquo;No one&rsquo;s ever asked us/wanted that,&rdquo; &ldquo;I have to have that or we can&#39;t sign,&rdquo; &ldquo;You&rsquo;ll have to talk with legal or procurement or revenue management [you know, the Great and Powerful Oz!] and we don&rsquo;t have time&rdquo; and &ldquo;If you don&rsquo;t sign by (date), you&rsquo;ll lose the whole deal.&rdquo;</p>
<p>It&rsquo;s as if everyone is scripted to say what they are told to say&mdash;the &ldquo;Stepford Negotiations&rdquo; perhaps we can call them!&mdash;and we do in fact revert to script versus listening and responding to what is being said. And as I learned from Izzy Gesell, none of us wake up with a script for who will say what and when.</p>
<p><em>*Gesell&rsquo;s quote is paraphrased at the start of this blog.</em></p>
<p>I had one of those awful negotiations this past spring&mdash;one of the most miserable experiences ever &hellip; and in a 40+ year career, that&rsquo;s saying something!</p>
<p>Sadly, because of the antagonistic attitude of the vendor parties (not my client but those with whom I was negotiating on their behalf), all my improvisation training and knowledge went out the door! Stress, because of critical issues and deadlines, can get the better of even the most experienced of planners.</p>
<p>This is the first December in years, <a href="http://www.momentmag.com/jewish-word-kinehora/" target="_blank">kinehora</a>, when I&rsquo;m not faced with contract deadlines (Thank you, dear clients!). There are of course, other deadlines and the usual year-end workload when everyone else seems to be mentally or physically away (out of the office messages abound!), but no contracts &hellip; so far!</p>
<p>For many of you, the deadlines loom and it&rsquo;s not really Dec. 31, is it? It&rsquo;s more likely Dec. 20 before everyone leaves on vacation. Take a deep breath and read on. This blog can help you now and for future negotiations.</p>
<p>In numerous discussions on social media and elsewhere with colleagues, and in training I&rsquo;ve conducted for classes in the industry and for <a href="https://continuinged.uncc.edu/public/category/courseCategoryCertificateProfile.do;jsessionid=58D224D3A628CED0DEB7D410A5F25249?method=load&amp;certificateId=25033" target="_blank">a risk and contracts class</a> for the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, the issues of how best and what to negotiate are always part of the conversation. How much can we get? What do we ask for? What are the hidden charges? (For this one, if you haven&rsquo;t, <a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/News-Events/Event-Details/ItemID/4091" target="_blank">tune in to the free webinar</a> that Kelly Franklin Bagnall, Esq., and I presented for Meetings Today in October 2017).</p>
<p>What&rsquo;s covered in force majeure protection? If concessions are first on our list of needs, are we getting enough? And on and on.</p>
<p>[If you are interested in receiving a checklist of items I think are critical to consider during&nbsp;negotiations or to include in a contract, email me at <a href="mailto:FridayWithJoan@aol.com?subject=Negotiations%20and%20Contract%20Checklist">FridayWithJoan@aol.com</a> and put &ldquo;Negotiations and Contract Checklist&rdquo; in the subject line. I&rsquo;ll send you the checklist I use to develop contracts and for teaching others.]</p>
<p>What is usually taught in our industry about negotiations is to prioritize what is needed including the meeting content and delivery needs for the group and to present the group&rsquo;s needs in an RFP, and for the vendor or facility to provide a proposal (often called a contract and, in my opinion, too often signed as is with no negotiation or counter-offer).</p>
<p>The <em>how</em> of doing so&mdash;negotiating&mdash;is written about in many books and online articles. For me, the best training I ever received was when I took my first improvisation class after, a few years prior, a dear friend (<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/1987/04/12/theater/theater-abyssinia-a-musical.html" target="_blank">Librettist James Racheff</a>) tried to teach me improv saying it was a tool that the business world needed. I confess to being too self-conscious to let go and really learn. But the improv bug had bitten. When another opportunity arose, I grabbed it and signed up for two improv classes at the <a href="https://www.iaf-world.org/site/" target="_blank">International Association of Facilitators</a> conference. I told everyone I&rsquo;d signed up so that I wouldn&rsquo;t back out!</p>
<p>I was still convinced that improvisation was &ldquo;Whose&nbsp;Line Is It Anyway?&rdquo; or Second City&mdash;as many still do&mdash;and I sure didn&rsquo;t want to be on a stage no matter what my great high school speech teacher, Jim Payne, thought!</p>
<p>Facilitation and improv classes have taught me numerous lessons.</p>
<p>The two most important are to say:</p>
<ul>
<li>&ldquo;Tell me more,&rdquo; a classic facilitation phrase that moves a conversation forward while getting the information needed.&nbsp;</li>
<li>&ldquo;Yes, and&hellip;&rdquo; versus &ldquo;Yes, but&hellip;&rdquo; Izzy Gesell and Bob Korin detail more about these <a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/Article-Details/RegionID/0/ArticleID/31620" target="_blank">in the&nbsp;Friday With Joan sidebar</a>. &ldquo;Yes, and&hellip;&rdquo; carries the conversation forward and, in negotiations, acknowledges one&rsquo;s own needs and wants while learning of and acknowledging the needs and wants of the person with whom you are negotiating.</li>
</ul>
<p>When I think about <em>successful negotiations</em>, I realize how much the parties to the negotiations use improv to make them successful. And I know that the least successful of negotiations are the foot-stomping, my-way-or-the-highway ones where there is no give and take, all &ldquo;Yes, but&hellip;&rdquo; versus &ldquo;Yes, and&hellip;&rdquo;</p>
<p>Here then are four specific ways&mdash;and a bonus precursor&mdash;to better, more successful quality negotiations and ultimately, contracts:</p>
<ol>
<li>Determine what you need, want and must have and detail those in writing in an RFP.</li>
<li>Ask those with whom you are negotiating for their needs, wants and must-haves.</li>
<li>Acknowledge each other&rsquo;s needs, wants and must-haves, whether it&rsquo;s wording (not just because &ldquo;legal said so&rdquo; or &ldquo;we&rsquo;ve always done it that way&rdquo;; more because it makes sense in the context of the business), terms and conditions (specific numbers and dates versus percentages and days out), and all the other specifics that the parties <em>discuss and agree</em> to.</li>
<li>Move it all forward with &ldquo;Yes, and&hellip;&rdquo; and acknowledge at the start of the negotiations that those with whom you are working will help to keep the language in use.</li>
</ol>
<p>Bonus Advice: <a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/Article-Details/RegionID/0/ArticleID/31620" target="_blank">take improvisation classes</a> and practice the tools you learn. They work in all relationships and business dealings. And they allow you to laugh at yourself when you say something unintended so perhaps that&rsquo;s a double bonus.</p>
<p><em>Editors&#39; Note: The views expressed by contributing bloggers are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Meetings Today or its parent company.</em></p>
<p><a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/newsletters/friday_with_joan/2017_12_01.html" target="_blank"><strong>Click here to view additional content in the 12.01.17&nbsp;Friday With Joan newsletter.​</strong></a></p>
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<p><strong>Posted by Joan L. Eisenstodt</strong></p>
<p><img alt="" src="/Portals/0/Blog/JoanEisenstodt_headshot_ver2.jpg" /></p>
<p><strong>Follow Joan on Twitter:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://twitter.com/joaneisenstodt" target="_blank">@joaneisenstodt</a></p>
</div>
312Can Meetings Help Alleviate a Major Healthcare Epidemic?https://www.meetingstoday.com/blog/postid/311/can-meetings-help-alleviate-a-major-healthcare-epidemicCSR,Diversity & Inclusion,Future Forecasting,Hospitality,Hotels,Teambuilding,Tradeshows,Value of meetingsFri, 03 Nov 2017 14:23:10 GMT<p>Vivek Murthy, MD, who served as the 19th U.S. Surgeon General, and someone whose life and work have made a great impression on me, wrote, <a href="https://hbr.org/cover-story/2017/09/work-and-the-loneliness-epidemic" target="_blank">in this <em>Harvard Business Review</em> article</a>, about his family&rsquo;s experience after Hurricane Andrew: &ldquo;Looking today at so many other places around the world ravaged by disasters of all kinds, I think about how often tragedy brings us together&mdash;and how fleeting that connection often is. &hellip;</p>
<p>&ldquo;There is good reason to be concerned about social connection in our current world. Loneliness is a growing health epidemic. We live in the most technologically connected age in the history of civilization, yet rates of loneliness have doubled since the 1980s. Today, over <a href="https://assets.aarp.org/rgcenter/general/loneliness_2010.pdf" target="_blank">40% of adults in America</a> report feeling lonely, and research suggests that the real number may well be higher. Additionally, the number of people who report having a close confidante in their lives has been declining over the past few decades. In the workplace, many employees&mdash;and&nbsp;<a href="https://hbr.org/2012/02/its-time-to-acknowledge-ceo-lo" target="_blank">half of CEOs</a>&mdash;report feeling lonely in their roles.</p>
<p>&ldquo;During my years caring for patients, the most common pathology I saw was not heart disease or diabetes; it was loneliness. The elderly man who came to our hospital every few weeks seeking relief from chronic pain was also looking for human connection: He was lonely. The middle-aged woman battling advanced HIV who had no one to call to inform that she was sick: She was lonely too. I found that loneliness was often in the background of clinical illness, contributing to disease and making it harder for patients to cope and heal.&rdquo;</p>
<p>As I read Murthy&rsquo;s article on &ldquo;the loneliness epidemic,&rdquo; my thoughts turned to meetings&mdash;conferences, seminars, conventions&mdash;some with a few people where it&rsquo;s easier to feel lonely if one is new or has less in common with others, or is an &ldquo;other&rdquo; than the majority attending&mdash;an &ldquo;outsider.&rdquo; And then there are those large-scale meetings of hundreds or thousands or tens of thousands where you&rsquo;ve come with colleagues you may or may not know well or with whom you may not feel comfortable around in a different setting. Or you may have only had a virtual connection to them&mdash;as many of us in the hospitality and meetings industry do when we attend a meeting&mdash;and you may still feel lonely.</p>
<p>I thought about the desire for connection during the first months of the MIMList (the first meetings industry virtual discussion group founded by Rod Marymor as part of the MIM &ndash; Meetings Industry Mall) that I moderated and how many wrote asking &ldquo;Is anyone attending [fill in the blank name of an industry meeting] so we can all meet face to face?&rdquo; All because no one likes being alone or lonely at a meeting or event.</p>
<p>Yes, there are many of us Introverts who <a href="http://www.garboforever.com/I_want_to_be_alone.htm" target="_blank">&ldquo;want to be alone&rdquo;</a> because <a href="http://16-personality-types.com/mbti-four-dichotomies/extraversion-introversion/" target="_blank">that&rsquo;s how we recharge</a>, but we don&rsquo;t want to feel lonely. Meetings are designed specifically for connections: years ago, <a href="https://www.mpiweb.org/foundation" target="_blank">MPI&rsquo;s Foundation</a> conducted ground-breaking studies about why people attend corporate and association meetings. The studies indicated that one of the main reasons people attended meetings was &ldquo;networking&rdquo; or as I came to call it, &ldquo;peer to peer interaction and learning&rdquo; (Sadly, the studies are out of print; I do have PDFs that we will get to you if requested&mdash;email me at <a href="mailto:FridayWithJoan@aol.com?subject=Friday%20With%20Joan%2011.03.17%20MPI%20Networking%20Study">FridayWithJoan@aol.com</a>).</p>
<p>As I read Dr. Murthy&rsquo;s comments and as I thought about my own experiences with organizations and at meetings, as a first-timer and as a &ldquo;veteran,&rdquo; I remembered:</p>
<ul>
<li>My first MPI Chapter (<a href="http://www.mpipotomac.org/" target="_blank">PMPI</a>) meeting in D.C. when Bill Myles (now of blessed memory) came up to me as I hugged a wall, introduced himself, and invited me to serve on the Membership Committee!</li>
<li>Then my first national <a href="https://www.mpiweb.org/" target="_blank">MPI</a> meeting in 1984 when, though I was president of PMPI, I didn&rsquo;t know others. Weldon Webb and Beverly Kinkade, both from the St. Louis Chapter (<a href="https://www.mpistlouis.org/" target="_blank">SLAMPI</a>), took me under their wings. Oh how much easier it was to participate and meet others and to commit to greater involvement!</li>
<li>At my first <a href="https://www.iaf-world.org/site/" target="_blank">International Association of Facilitators (IAF)</a> when I walked into breakfast of 1,200 and thought I&rsquo;d find a table in a corner until, when walking by three people deep in conversation, they invited me into their conversation and to a seat at their table. Included, I felt less lonely and became involved.</li>
<li>Patti Shock and Ed Polivka (he now too of blessed memory) who, at my first <a href="https://www.pcma.org/" target="_blank">PCMA</a> meeting, welcomed me with smiles and conversation ensuring I was included.</li>
<li>And at my first meeting as an MPI delegate (thank you Doug Heath for appointment me) to the (then) Convention Liaison Council (now the <a href="http://www.eventscouncil.org/" target="_blank">EIC</a>) Board meeting when Bill Gehron representing HSMAI, Keith Sexton-Patrick representing ACOM (now ESPA), and Sandi Lynn representing SGMP, all included me in conversations and my loneliness disappeared and my involvement grew. The two often seem to be related!</li>
</ul>
<p>What is the obligation for those in the hospitality industry (see <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hospitality_industry" target="_blank">definition a</a>, <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hospitality" target="_blank">definition b</a>) to help people feel less lonely? How can meetings help alleviate the loneliness epidemic and contribute to better health, just as we&rsquo;ve added healthier foods, yoga, fun runs, policies to combat sexual harassment and to ensure diversity and inclusion?</p>
<p>How do we do it? Here are some ideas.</p>
<p><strong>1. Understand the roots of loneliness.</strong> Dr. Murthy <a href="https://hbr.org/cover-story/2017/09/work-and-the-loneliness-epidemic" target="_blank">in <em>Harvard Business Review (HBR)</em> wrote</a>: &ldquo;Loneliness is the subjective feeling of having inadequate social connections.&rdquo;</p>
<p>He went on to say &ldquo;Happy hours, coffee breaks, and team-building exercises are designed to build connections between colleagues, but do they really help people develop deep relationships? On average, we spend more waking hours with our coworkers than we do with our families. But do they know what we really care about? Do they understand our values? Do they share in our triumphs and pains? This isn&rsquo;t just bad for our health; it&rsquo;s also bad for business. Researchers for Gallup found that having <a href="http://www.gallup.com/businessjournal/127043/friends-social-wellbeing.aspx" target="_blank"><em>strong social connections</em></a> at work makes employees more likely to be engaged with their jobs and produce higher-quality work&hellip;&rdquo;</p>
<p>&ldquo;Connection can also help indirectly by enhancing self-esteem and self-efficacy while also shifting our experience toward positive emotions&mdash;all of which can buffer an individual during stressful situations and have positive effects on health. Indeed, studies have found that companies whose workers feel they have high-stress jobs have markedly higher health care expenditures than their counterparts with low-stress employees. &hellip; My experience has been that people bring the most to their work when they feel connected to the mission and the people around them.&rdquo;</p>
<p>No kidding! Because of all those who invited me into conversation and allowed us to get to know each other as individuals as well as colleagues, I immersed myself in our hospitality industry. Where would I (or you) be today if someone hadn&rsquo;t taken time to include you? And I&rsquo;m sure we can all think of times where we <em>weren&rsquo;t</em> included.</p>
<p><strong>2. Create opportunities for deeper connections.</strong></p>
<p>Dr. Murthy, as Surgeon General wrote about his work with staff, new to him and he to them: &ldquo;To bring us closer, we developed &ldquo;Inside Scoop,&rdquo; an exercise in which team members were asked to share something about themselves through pictures for five minutes during weekly staff meetings. Presenting was an opportunity for each of us to share more of who we were; listening was an opportunity to recognize our colleagues in the way they wished to be seen. I share what my office did not as the antidote to loneliness but as <strong><em>proof that small steps can make a difference</em></strong> <strong>[emphasis by Joan].</strong> And because small actions like this one are vital to improving our health and the health of our economy.&rdquo;</p>
<p>I asked in a number of social media groups about how people felt as first-timers or if they felt lonely at meetings, especially if they were at a meeting at which they knew few, if any, others. The responses reflected the sense of isolation many felt, some believing that &ldquo;first-timer&rdquo; designations made them stand out and they were only approached by those who were told (often board members or executive staff) to do so.</p>
<p>This response, slightly edited, is from colleague and friend, <a href="http://getmespark.com/about/about-spark/" target="_blank">Elizabeth Engel</a>. In this narrative, she is describing who makes what efforts at meetings and events:<img alt="" src="/Portals/0/images/2017/Friday_With_Joan/Elizabeth_Engel_FWJ_11_03_17_web.jpg" style="float: right; width: 250px; height: 300px;" title="" /></p>
<p>&ldquo;My first time at a [association related to hospitality and meetings] event in 2000. I&rsquo;d only been in the profession for a few years, and I didn&rsquo;t know anyone outside the confines of my own association employer and the staff members of our three &lsquo;sister&rsquo; associations.</p>
<p>&ldquo;The conference was in the city in which I live and work, and being my first conference with this organization, I didn&rsquo;t realize that I should clear my evening schedule for the receptions and parties that would take place in conjunction with the event.</p>
<p>&ldquo;So I went to sessions, sat in the back of the room all by myself, didn&rsquo;t really talk to anyone, and scurried off at the end of the educational program each day to keep my evening commitments. In short, I was the attendee with no friends.&nbsp;</p>
<p>&ldquo;I did learn a lot, but I kind of missed the point of an in-person event: I didn&rsquo;t expand my network at all.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t attend another large association conference for another two years. [When I did return to this conference] I still didn&rsquo;t really know anyone outside my (still the same) employer and (still the same) &#39;sister&#39;&nbsp;associations.</p>
<p>&ldquo;But in the interim, I&rsquo;d learned two key things: keep my evenings free, and make the first move. I knew it was on me to create a better outcome, and I did. This time, I pushed myself outside my comfort zone to look for the other person in each room who didn&rsquo;t seem to have any friends, go over to her, and ask her a question about herself, which is the easiest way for introverts [and others!] to get conversations with strangers going.</p>
<p>&ldquo;That was the start of building the professional network that has sustained me for the past twenty years, through multiple job changes and launching my own business five years ago.&rdquo;</p>
<p><strong>3. &ldquo;Make strengthening social connections a strategic priority in your organization&rdquo; </strong>said Dr. Murthy, and to which I add, <strong><em>and in and at your meetings</em>.</strong></p>
<p>To what Elizabeth learned and did and what Dr. Murthy suggests and the MPI Foundation studies indicate, and what we know from our own experiences and observations, when our noses are in our electronic devices at meetings, peer to peer interaction and learning can&rsquo;t easily happen. If we set participation examples and explain why we are doing so, we may be able to turn around the current usual behavior and help people create better connections that can lead to more involved members.</p>
<p>More involved members become informed and active participants in our professions, which leads to more commitment to buying and selling from those we know.</p>
<p><strong>4. Change tradeshow interactions.</strong></p>
<p>It&rsquo;s not just the brief hello on the tradeshow floor for buyers to obtain <a href="https://www.thefreedictionary.com/tchotchke" target="_blank">tchotchkes</a> or a chance to be entered into a drawing [oh ... ethics, a discussion for yet another time!] or for sales and marketing professionals to get a name to add to the database. Deeper connections can be made with real conversations like one I had with colleague Marlys Arnold at ExhibitorLive with an exhibitor in a wheelchair about shows and the ADA.</p>
<p>As Dr. Murthy wrote we need to &ldquo;<strong>Encourage coworkers</strong> [and in our world, meeting participants and tradeshow exhibitors]<strong> to reach out and help others&mdash;and accept help when it is offered.&rdquo;&nbsp;</strong>Read on to the sidebar <a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/Article-Details/RegionID/0/ArticleID/31534" target="_blank">to the interview with Dr. Vivek Murthy</a> to see more of what he has to say about how meetings can help people feel less lonely.</p>
<p><strong>5. Encourage interactive education.</strong></p>
<p>Many of us connect best when we are talking about meaningful ways to solve problems or sharing anecdotes about our latest success or problem.</p>
<p>We need to help &ldquo;speakers&rdquo; become, and treat them more like, trainers or facilitators to encourage interaction in sessions. We also need to encourage the use of appropriate seating outside session rooms where, during breaks or at times desired, people can share what they learned and make different connections over a shared raised eyebrow in a session. In both instances we have enabled learning and encouraged less loneliness.</p>
<p>What are your experiences and what have you&nbsp;observed at your meetings&mdash;or in your hotels and convention or conference centers&mdash;that have encouraged connections and less loneliness for travelers and meeting participants?</p>
<ul>
<li>When you were a first-timer at a meeting especially when you knew no one or few people, what made you feel welcome?</li>
<li>What&#39;s your reaction&mdash;or that of those who attend your meetings&mdash;to &ldquo;first-timer&rdquo; designations&mdash;stickers or ribbons on badges?</li>
<li>In what ways do you encourage interaction in sessions and at social events? In what ways does it succeed and how is it measured?</li>
<li>If you&#39;ve measured the return to future meetings (or joining or renewing membership) of first-timers or their buying habits based on meaningful versus brief interactions at tradeshows, what did you learn?</li>
<li>And what makes you feel &ldquo;lonely&rdquo; at a meeting and in what ways could our industry and especially our industry associations help alleviate what could lead to a greater health epidemic?</li>
</ul>
<p>Our industry has an opportunity to help people feel less lonely and isolated. Maybe it was &ldquo;bold&rdquo; to suggest we can &ldquo;cure&rdquo; a health crisis but I think we can go a long way to alleviating it in one of aspect of society that touches many.</p>
<p><em>And so &hellip; On October 29, many of us observed the yahrzeit&mdash;anniversary death&mdash;of Rosie Ledesma-Bernaducci, a colleague and friend. Those of you who knew her and the circumstances of her death may believe as I do that loneliness contributed to her suicide. It&rsquo;s that deep loneliness that though one has a smile on their face, and is well-connected and respected, masks a deeper sense of not being connected, truly connected, to others. To her, I dedicate this blog and newsletter in hopes that we can create better connections to solve the issue of loneliness in some way through meetings.</em></p>
<p>For those who would like to respond privately with a comment&nbsp;to be posted anonymously, please email me at <a href="mailto:FridayWithJoan@aol.com?subject=Friday%20With%20Joan%2011.03.17%20Comment">FridayWithJoan@aol.com</a> and I&rsquo;ll post it for you.</p>
<p><em>Editors&#39; Note: The views expressed by contributing bloggers are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Meetings Today or its parent company.</em></p>
<p><a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/newsletters/friday_with_joan/2017_11_03.html" target="_blank"><strong>Click here to view additional content in the 11.03.17 Friday With Joan newsletter.​</strong></a></p>
<div>
<p><strong>Posted by Joan L. Eisenstodt</strong></p>
<p><img alt="" src="/Portals/0/Blog/JoanEisenstodt_headshot_ver2.jpg" /></p>
<p><strong>Follow Joan on Twitter:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://twitter.com/joaneisenstodt" target="_blank">@joaneisenstodt</a></p>
</div>
311Why Can't We All Just Meet AND Get Along?https://www.meetingstoday.com/blog/postid/309/why-cant-we-all-just-meet-and-get-alongDiversity & Inclusion,Education,Future Forecasting,Hospitality,HotelsThu, 31 Aug 2017 19:54:42 GMT<p><em>***&ldquo;The first step in the evolution of ethics is a sense of solidarity with other human beings.&rdquo;<br />
&nbsp;&ndash; <a href="https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1952/schweitzer-bio.html" target="_blank">Albert Schweitzer</a></em><em>, theologian, organist, writer, humanitarian, philosopher and physician.</em></p>
<p>Before we get to the subject of this blog and the Sept. 2017 edition of Friday With Joan, there are some pressing issues to address: Hurricane Harvey and the flooding and other damage to Houston and the Texas Gulf Coast, and now Louisiana.</p>
<p>Articles <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/news/archive/2017/08/a-catastrophe-for-houstons-most-vulnerable-people/538155/" target="_blank">like this one&nbsp;from <em>The Atlantic</em></a>&nbsp;explain what many of us intuited: that often those most impacted by disaster are those who were already in need.</p>
<p>Many organizations and individuals are helping. I was particularly interested in who among the hospitality industry was helping those who work in restaurants, hotels and other venues, especially the help for hourly workers who depend on tips and who may have lost&nbsp;everything&mdash;home, clothing, documents, transportation&mdash;and need help.</p>
<p>Thanks to friend and colleague, Paul Arrigo, CDME, President &amp; CEO of <a href="http://www.visitbatonrouge.com/" target="_blank">Visit Baton Rouge</a>, for the information that the <a href="http://www.lra.org/" target="_blank">Louisiana Restaurant Association</a> (2700 N. Arnoult Road, Metairie, LA 70802) is coordinating with the <a href="https://www.txrestaurant.org/" target="_blank">Texas Restaurant Association</a> to collect cash/checks, generic gift cards&mdash;for places like Home Depot, Lowes, Wal-Mart, etc.&mdash;for those in the restaurant industry that were impacted by Hurricane Harvey.</p>
<p>I also appreciated <a href="https://destinationsinternational.org/hurricane-harvey-how-you-can-help" target="_blank">this information</a> from Destinations International (formerly DMAI and, before that,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.iacvb.org/" target="_blank">IACVB</a>). I hope you will consider making a donation&nbsp;via one of the links.</p>
<p>Many thanks to FEMA for this guide on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fema.gov/volunteer-donate-responsibly" target="_blank">how to volunteer and donate&nbsp;responsibly</a>.</p>
<p>Meetings Today also put together <a href="http://www.meetingstoday.com/NewsEvents/IndustryNews/IndustryNewsDetails/RegionID/247/ArticleID/31161" target="_blank">this article with&nbsp;a list of charitable links</a>.</p>
<p>And please, email me at <a href="mailto:FridayWithJoan@aol.com?subject=Sept.%20Friday%20With%20Joan%20Follow-Up">FridayWithJoan@aol.com</a> or message in the comments of others who are specifically helping our industry&rsquo;s colleagues.***</p>
<p><strong>Now on to the&nbsp;Friday With Joan topic for September!</strong></p>
<p><em>Generations at Work: Managing the Clash of Veterans, Boomers, Xers and Nexters in Your Workplace</em>, co-authored by Ron Zemke, was first published in 1999. I must have read <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Generations-Work-Managing-Veterans-Workplace/dp/0814404804" target="_blank">about it</a> and more from Ron (who, sadly, <a href="http://www.startribune.com/obituaries/detail/3970441/?fullname=zemke,-ronald-e" target="_blank">died in 2004</a>) in one of many publications. I had the privilege of co-presenting with Ron at the meeting formerly known as &ldquo;Springtime in the Park&rdquo; in a session entitled &ldquo;It&rsquo;s Not Your Grandfather&rsquo;s Meeting&rdquo;*!</p>
<p>It was after that, at a Nevada Governor&rsquo;s Conference on Tourism, where we both presented on different topics, that I first met <a href="http://www.annfishman.com/" target="_blank">Ann Fishman</a> and heard her talk about generational issues.</p>
<p>As a boomer&mdash;the &ldquo;why can&rsquo;t we all just get along&rdquo; generation, part of the center of the universe for so long&mdash;learning about the issues that impact us from the generations into which we are born fascinated me. In Friday With Joan, I&rsquo;ve written previously <a href="http://www.meetingstoday.com/Blog/PostId/299/5-ways-to-improve-intergenerational-interaction" target="_blank">about generations</a> and <a href="http://www.meetingstoday.com/Blog/PostId/304/9-ideas-to-innovate-meeting-design-and-delivery" target="_blank">about meeting design</a>. The number of articles and blogs about learning, generations and the focus<em> just in our industry</em> about millennials and hotels&rsquo; focus on them as customers could consume our reading for months on end.</p>
<p>In recent years, I&rsquo;ve facilitated sessions at <a href="http://www.exhibitoronline.com/live/2017/index.asp" target="_blank">ExhibitorLive</a> entitled &ldquo;Why Can&rsquo;t We All Just Get Along&rdquo; about generational issues. I chose that topic because I was so tired of what I believe are the mistaken beliefs about other generations and, in particular, about millennials (&ldquo;they don&rsquo;t have a work ethic,&rdquo; &ldquo;they&rsquo;re job switchers&rdquo;&mdash;as if that&rsquo;s a bad thing!&mdash;&ldquo;they&rsquo;re self-centered&rdquo; which is what we boomers heard about us, and more). I wanted to facilitate&nbsp;conversations among generations since we&#39;re in this together.</p>
<p>Here we are, as many as five or six generations in the workplace (according to Bruce Tulgan of <a href="http://rainmakerthinking.com/" target="_blank">Rainmaker Thinking</a>) and as guests at hotels, and participants in meetings. Here we are with the many influencers (watch live or later on-demand the Meetings Today Webinar <a href="http://www.meetingstoday.com/News-Events/Event-Details/ItemID/4129" target="_blank">&ldquo;Why Can&rsquo;t We All Just Get Along? Working and Meeting Multigenerationally&rdquo;</a> on Sept. 20 to see more of those influencers) and opinions and beliefs and needs on how we work, who we are, and how we meet and what we expect out of meetings. And our role is to create experiences for everyone that satisfies their expectations and needs.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p>&ldquo;Impossible?&rdquo; Maybe. Challenging in designing meetings? Certainly!</p>
<p>The factors we need to consider are great and greater than just generational issues: learning styles and preferences, applying what we&rsquo;ve learned from research about brains and how people learn and behave, professional rank (senior managers, CEOs, administrative assistants, etc.), abilities, and the desire to cram into a few days far too much information to process while allowing time for people to experience what we hope will help them learn and interact.</p>
<p>There&#39;s no denying that for each meeting on which I&rsquo;ve been involved in the design, content, delivery and logistics, and for those I&rsquo;ve attended and will attend in the future, change is needed&mdash;it&rsquo;s about more than one&rsquo;s generational <a href="http://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/cohort" target="_blank">cohort</a>.</p>
<p>I don&rsquo;t have simple answers for how to make meetings work for all generations. I am informed by what I read, observe and watch. Recently, two particular segments on <a href="http://www.pbs.org/newshour/" target="_blank">PBS NewsHour</a> were indications of what we need now and will need for future events. Both were indicative of experiential learning that many first learned about from <em>The Experience Economy</em>, by B. Joseph Pine II and James Gilmore, <a href="https://hbr.org/1998/07/welcome-to-the-experience-economy" target="_blank">first out in 1998</a>, and since updated.</p>
<p>The earlier story was <a href="http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/b-bug-preschoolers-make-nature-classroom/" target="_blank">about preschool children and their outdoor learning</a> and then there was this one <a href="http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/can-students-return-billion-oysters-new-york-harbor/" target="_blank">about the billion oyster project in New York City</a>.</p>
<p>Of course I thought about how so much meeting space and so many meetings are indoors, underground and in rooms without windows. Will that do for a future generation? If this is how students are learning today, will meetings and facilities designed and used now be useful for the future?</p>
<p>Then there was this, also from PBS NewsHour,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/retailers-banking-options-experiences-draw-shoppers/" target="_blank">about making &ldquo;brick-and-mortar&rdquo; shopping relevant</a>, which hit me as just what meetings need right now! (Because some of you won&rsquo;t watch or read, I&rsquo;ve captured a few of the comments from the segment that struck me as relevant to meetings for multi-generations as they are to shopping). When I saw what the Hudson&#39;s Bay Company was doing; what <a href="http://thisisstory.com/" target="_blank">STORY</a>&mdash;Rachel Shechtman I thought you were brilliant in describing merchandising as content and community&mdash;did, and the idea of &ldquo;experience per square foot&rdquo; I wondered why, on our tradeshow floors, isn&rsquo;t there more of an experience versus just people handing out brochures?</p>
<p><strong>RACHEL SHECHTMAN</strong>,&nbsp;Founder, STORY: If a magazine tells stories by writing articles, and taking pictures, we tell stories through merchandise <em>and events</em>**. And then, magazines have advertisers, and we have sponsors.</p>
<p>[In the broadcast, Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos, said, 20 years ago, that the strip mall was most endangered &ldquo;because that&rsquo;s no fun.&rdquo; Sound like meetings you attend? And &ldquo;fun&rdquo; is of course a matter of degree and can be simply experiential learning].</p>
<p><strong>GERALD STORCH</strong>,&nbsp;CEO, Hudson&rsquo;s Bay Company [Lord &amp; Taylor, Saks Fifth Avenue]: How do we give the customer that extra reason, beyond simply consummating a transaction to buy some merchandise to come to a store. &hellip; Think of [it] as an amusement park for an adult, a reason to <em>come to experience something new and different</em>.**</p>
<p><strong>PAUL SOLMAN, PBS reporter</strong>: Hudson&rsquo;s Bay CEO Storch met us at The Wellery. You can buy stuff here, or get a manicure, practice your golf swing, work out, sample dry salt therapy to improve lung function.</p>
<p>As I listened, I envisioned a tradeshow <em>and</em> a meeting with a multitude of different experiences and creative designs. For a tradeshow, fewer row after row of the same kinds of booth, or of meeting rooms all set the same and delivery the same way it&rsquo;s always been. As I looked at the customers in the PBS story about reinvigorating retail shopping, I observed: different generations experiencing what they want in new ways, creating a desire to return!</p>
<p>To see what others thought, <a href="http://www.meetingstoday.com/Article-Details/RegionID/0/ArticleID/31191" target="_blank">I asked five industry colleagues to respond to questions</a> based on their generation, the meetings or teaching they do, and their personal preferences for meetings. What patterns in what they&rsquo;ve said and in the stories from PBS NewsHour do you see on which you can build a meeting? In the similarities and differences that are generation-specific, what strikes you? Of those you serve&mdash;as customers in your hotels or conference center or city, at your meetings, in your membership or who buy products from your company&mdash;what can you apply?</p>
<p><strong>Please add your thoughts in the comments section.</strong> I&rsquo;ve asked those who responded <a href="http://www.meetingstoday.com/Article-Details/RegionID/0/ArticleID/31191" target="_blank">to the sidebar questions</a> to also, when they can, respond to what the others said since this is the first time they&rsquo;ll have read all the responses.</p>
<p>-----</p>
<p>And this: it is impossible not to acknowledge Charlottesville, <a href="http://www.legacy.com/news/celebrity-deaths/notable-deaths/article/heather-heyer" target="_blank">the death of Heather Heyer</a>, and the aftermath. If those at your meetings are not having these conversations, perhaps we should ensure they do, facilitated, so that instead of rancor we find common ground.</p>
<p>There&rsquo;s been much written about the millennial generation as &ldquo;the one&rdquo; that will help the world get along because it was thought that they, more than other generations in the U.S. especially, lived in a multicultural, multi-racial, ethnic, gender- and gender identity diverse world. It was thought that they were the key to our future.</p>
<p>It appears not to be so from what we&rsquo;ve read and seen.</p>
<p>But just as I, at 12, believed that if I could only sit down with <a href="http://www.pbs.org/redfiles/bios/all_bio_nikita_khrushchev.htm" target="_blank">Nikita Khrushchev</a> (who so looked like my dear Russian maternal grandfather, now of blessed memory), in a meeting, that we could make peace, that I believe that meetings, well-facilitated, welcoming, designed for inclusion, can be a conduit to more cohesive communities.</p>
<p>When I saw what my niece, a teacher in North Charleston, S.C., wrote about these two men and later heard them, side by side, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/video/south-carolina-activists-want-to-avoid-the-violence-that-happened-in-charlottesville-1025338947673" target="_blank">talk about coming together</a>, I thought perhaps there was hope and that the meetings industry will help facilitate it all&mdash;generational and other conversations to create better communities.</p>
<p>Idealistic? You betcha.</p>
<p><em>Editors&#39; Note: The views expressed by contributing bloggers are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Meetings Today or its parent company.</em></p>
<p><em>Additionally, the information provided within the Meetings Today Blog is done so with the understanding that the writers are not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional services or advice through the distribution of the content. If expert assistance is required, the services of a professional should be sought and contracted.</em></p>
<p>*That&rsquo;s if memory serves me ... it may have had a slightly different title but was close to this. The presentation was on a floppy disc, long gone. **Emphasis is the blog author&rsquo;s.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.meetingstoday.com/newsletters/friday_with_joan/2017_09_01.html" target="_blank"><strong>Click here to view additional content in the 09.01.17 Friday With Joan newsletter.</strong></a></p>
<div>
<p><strong>Posted by Joan L. Eisenstodt</strong></p>
<p><img alt="" src="/Portals/0/Blog/JoanEisenstodt_headshot_ver2.jpg" /></p>
<p><strong>Follow Joan on Twitter:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://twitter.com/joaneisenstodt" target="_blank">@joaneisenstodt</a></p>
</div>
309How to Network and Ethically Do Business in a Relationship Industryhttps://www.meetingstoday.com/blog/postid/306/how-to-network-and-ethically-do-business-in-a-relationship-industryCareer Advice,Ethics,Hospitality,Meetings Mean Business,negotiationsFri, 04 Aug 2017 15:34:12 GMT<p>My number one &ldquo;<a href="http://www.meetingstoday.com/Blog/PostId/277/meetings-industry-strengths-and-talents-stats/Default" target="_blank">strength</a>&rdquo; is &ldquo;connectedness.&rdquo; And though I dislike networking in the traditional sense (the kind that is done at big events with too much noise and no time for deeper conversation&mdash;<a href="http://youtu.be/81Go-Oln34k?t=8m15s" target="_blank">check out&nbsp;this video podcast for more</a>), connecting with others, and learning more about their ideas and opinions and experiences, matters greatly.</p>
<p>After all, I learned great networking skills from <a href="http://www.susanroane.com/" target="_blank">Susan RoAne, the &ldquo;Mingling Maven,&rdquo;</a> years ago at an industry meeting and I still follow her work and the principles learned because she understands the value of it, and knows how to network, beyond the superficial.</p>
<p>Years ago, serving on the board and then as president of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.mpipotomac.org/" target="_blank">the MPI Potomac Chapter</a>, I remember using&nbsp;<a href="http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/home.htm?bhcp=1" target="_blank">the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)</a>&nbsp;and other tools in a facilitated exercise to build a better board through our relationships. I confirmed that for me to work well with someone, I had to be connected in more than one way.</p>
<p>That is, I wanted to know who I was working with&mdash;and their specific interests&mdash;in order to be able to connect more than casually.</p>
<p>That has served me well in many years in the industry and business ... until this summer. I recently was &ldquo;taken in&rdquo; during a critical negotiation when I thought someone really wanted to know me and have me know them. It turns out they didn&rsquo;t. My involvement was merely a means to an end, and soon the honesty went straight out the window.</p>
<p>Some of what a client and I went through will form a backdrop for <a href="http://www.meetingstoday.com/News-Events/Event-Details/ItemID/4091" target="_blank">this upcoming&nbsp;Meetings Today webinar</a>&nbsp;on Oct. 25 at 1 p.m. Eastern Time, which Kelly Bagnall, Esq., a meetings industry attorney on the hotel side, and I will co-present. You&rsquo;ll want to tune in for specific examples.</p>
<p>What happened this summer caused me to reflect back on more positive outcomes resulting from strong industry relationships. I thought about a dinner during a <a href="https://www.pcma.org/" target="_blank">PCMA</a> meeting, who was there and why, and what was said. At this dinner and at others, outside the bustle of the larger meeting and official (and invited) events, friends could catch up with each other, make connections and talk in a more intimate setting, my preferred way of networking and building relationships.</p>
<p>At one dinner of 30, it was suggested that introductions include &ldquo;how I&rsquo;m connected to Joan.&rdquo; It was fascinating to hear: the planners said they&rsquo;d learned from me in a class or from my writing; the suppliers said they&rsquo;d experienced a tough but fair negotiation.</p>
<p>In another instance where connectedness paid off, I was working for a client at whose organization there had been some &ldquo;irregular activity&rdquo; [I can&rsquo;t call it criminal because it was never prosecuted]: planners, including those at the most senior level, set up a side company (to their existing employment), and in the name of that company, inserted a commissionable page into contracts after the contracts were signed by their employer.</p>
<p>The planners then went further and booked bogus meetings using the insertion and the electronic signature of the CEO. All this was uncovered in an audit, they were fired, and I was brought in to fix the damage. A connection with an industry attorney&mdash;lawyers and hotel lawyers are not our enemies!&mdash;who represented the hotel owners knew enough about me and my integrity to know that I wanted to make the situation right for the client <em>and</em>&nbsp;for the hotel owner and management companies. Without the existing relationship and a reputation for ethical behavior, openness in dealing with the situation, and the connection made, the results for the association might have been very costly.</p>
<p>We don&rsquo;t have to be &ldquo;best&rdquo; or even good friends. It simply helps for us to know about the other to understand what makes us tick and how we operate. Pretending you want to get to know each other when you are, instead, manipulating a situation, is not sincere and in the end, doesn&rsquo;t enrich the trust that should be built in a complex negotiation.</p>
<p>In the sidebar you&rsquo;ll see that more than one person mentions <a href="http://www.meetingstoday.com/Article-Details/RegionID/0/ArticleID/31068" target="_blank">the ethics of how to work in this industry</a>. There are varying guidelines at each of the industry association&rsquo;s sites and none are exactly alike. For those who are CMPs, the Events Industry Council <a href="http://www.eventscouncil.org/CMP/AboutCMP/Ethics.aspx" target="_blank">offers its own set of guidelines</a>. Honor your employer&rsquo;s or client&rsquo;s code of conduct and others.</p>
<p>It all seems simple and yet, due to the bottom line- and date-focused nature of the industry, we tend to not play fairly. Below are some suggestions about how to build and keep relationships based on my own personal experience. Over the years I&rsquo;ve worked and built relationships with people who work in sales, convention services and law.</p>
<p>Those relationships, and others this summer after the unpleasant one, allowed me to find solutions to sticky situations in which my clients&rsquo; dollars were at stake&mdash;situations where I would not benefit directly. (I am paid by fees from clients vs. commissions. That&rsquo;s relevant because in each case where a relationship paid dividends, my pockets were not further enriched because of the relationships and work).</p>
<p><strong>Here are five guidelines that I think we can all follow to ethically advance our work and build better relationships.</strong></p>
<p><strong>1. Play fairly. </strong>Groups should send full RFPs detailing all that&rsquo;s important (including any non-negotiable items). Suppliers should send proposals that answer all the questions asked in the RFP and others anticipated based on research. Establish realistic deadlines and determine how you both can meet them.</p>
<p><strong>2. Work honestly. </strong>Tell the truth in all aspects of your work. Don&rsquo;t rush through a negotiation just to meet a deadline that involves bonuses for one party especially if it results in an incomplete contract or doesn&rsquo;t allow time to re-read the contract to correct inconsistencies (See Tammi Runzler&rsquo;s comments in the Friday With Joan sidebar).</p>
<p><strong>3. Be sincere. </strong>Don&rsquo;t fake interest in the other person if it&rsquo;s not there. Still be polite and listen to what they have to say. You may be surprised at what you find in common that will enhance the relationship, even if you don&rsquo;t become best friends, or friends at all.</p>
<p><strong>4. Operate ethically. </strong>Become better acquainted with your company&rsquo;s ethics policy and that of your clients and customers. Planners, stop expecting supplier partners to treat you with a gift or provide personal perks. Suppliers stop offering perks to planners to get a contract signed. In the end, it only furthers the perception about and actions of our industry that draw negative attention and can result in job losses&mdash;mostly for planners.</p>
<p>Planners, take a supplier to lunch instead of being expected to being treated (I confess to thinking about the brilliant late Stan Freberg and his &ldquo;Stan Freberg Presents the United States of America.&rdquo; One excerpt <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjgxmlw43pw" target="_blank">can be heard here</a>, followed by the full recording).</p>
<p><strong>5. Keep friendships and business relationships separate.&nbsp;</strong>If you&rsquo;re negotiating with someone who has become a friend because you got to know each other through industry activities or you found something in common while doing business together, remember to take off your &ldquo;friend hat&rdquo; and put on your &ldquo;business hat&rdquo; and be explicit about doing so. It keeps the relationship and the outcomes cleaner.</p>
<p><strong>And now here are some final words to consider.</strong></p>
<p>A friend and cancer patient, Karen Francis, wrote the words quoted below as I was considering the content of this blog post. I share it with her permission:</p>
<p>&ldquo;As I think about the value of the &lsquo;seasoned nurse&rsquo; &hellip; I am reminded of the many &lsquo;seasoned bankers&rsquo; that groomed my career and contributed to the tremendous success &hellip; We all knew how ... to satisfy the client&rsquo;s needs at any cost, and how to beg for forgiveness instead of asking for permission in bending the rules. We were &lsquo;client driven&rsquo; not &lsquo;sales [driven]&rsquo; and we were all &lsquo;old school,&rsquo; trained and developed within by each other&rsquo;s career experiences.&rdquo;</p>
<p>To help us become better&mdash;and more ethical&mdash;negotiators and connectors, I asked people who currently or have been in industry sales and those who help hire for their take on doing business. I think you&#39;ll find their responses helpful, no matter if you&rsquo;re new to the industry or an old dog learning new tricks.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.meetingstoday.com/Article-Details/RegionID/0/ArticleID/31068" target="_blank">See the Friday With Joan companion article for these responses.</a></p>
<p>And please add your tips in the comments. It is complicated, at times, when we form these friendships that may last (or not) after the &ldquo;deal&rdquo; is over. We are potentially going to do business together again. It is best to ensure an honest relationship from the start.</p>
<p><em>Editors&#39; Note: The views expressed by contributing bloggers are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Meetings Today or its parent company.</em></p>
<p><em>Additionally, the information provided within the Meetings Today Blog is done so with the understanding that the writers are not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional services or advice through the distribution of the content. If expert assistance is required, the services of a professional should be sought and contracted.</em></p>
<p><a href="http://www.meetingstoday.com/newsletters/friday_with_joan/2017_08_04.html" target="_blank">Click here to view additional content in the 08.04.17 Friday With Joan newsletter.</a></p>
<div>
<p><strong>Posted by Joan L. Eisenstodt</strong></p>
<p><img alt="" src="/Portals/0/Blog/JoanEisenstodt_headshot_ver2.jpg" /></p>
<p><strong>Follow Joan on Twitter:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://twitter.com/joaneisenstodt" target="_blank">@joaneisenstodt</a></p>
</div>
3069 Ideas to Innovate Meeting Design and Deliveryhttps://www.meetingstoday.com/blog/postid/304/9-ideas-to-innovate-meeting-design-and-deliveryEducation,Hospitality,Hotels,Life-long learning,Meeting Planning 101,Meetings Mean Business,Value of meetingsFri, 02 Jun 2017 16:27:28 GMT<p>With thanks to&nbsp;<a href="https://wordsmith.org/awad/about.html" target="_blank">Anu Garg of A Word A Day</a>&nbsp;for this:</p>
<p><em>&ldquo;Most creativity is a transition from one context into another where things are more surprising. There&#39;s an element of surprise, and especially in science, there is often laughter that goes along with the &#39;Aha.&#39; Art also has this element. Our job is to remind us that there are more contexts than the one that we&#39;re in&mdash;the one that we think is reality.&rdquo;</em><br />
<strong>-- Alan Kay, computer scientist (born May 17, 1940)</strong></p>
<p>Surprise and joy. These are the emotions I have felt when an educational experience, in particular one in a school or meeting setting, was creative and transitioned from the usual straight rows of chairs to a more audience-centric setting and from a lecture to an engaging, interactive experience.</p>
<p>These same emotions were felt in Stanley Blum&rsquo;s civics class in my Ohio high school where the (awful!) tablet chairs were set in a circle versus the straight rows in most other classes. Surprise and joy are also what I felt when (the late) Lenore Clippinger allowed us to bring pillows on which to sit on the floor of her English Literature class in the same school. And when Mr. Blum invited us to his home for current events discussions and we sat on comfortable furniture and were served cocoa and cookies.</p>
<p>Come to think of it, it&rsquo;s similar to what&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-r-bill-host-8231075/" target="_blank">Bill Host</a>, and I created at a PCMA discussion &quot;session&quot; about&nbsp;<a href="http://www.danpink.com/about/" target="_blank">Dan Pink&rsquo;s</a>&nbsp;&ldquo;A Whole New Mind&rdquo;: some cocktail tables, beanbag chairs, lots of windows, small vases of flowers on the tables, and cocoa, tea, coffee and cookies. [For that, thanks to Kim Peterson at Seattle Sheraton who helped create the setting].</p>
<p>Yes, I&rsquo;ve written about some of these experiences before (<a href="http://www.meetingstoday.com/Blog/TabId/330/PostId/259/planners-v-suppliers-why-cant-we-all-learn-together.aspx" target="_blank">here</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="http://www.meetingstoday.com/Blog/TabId/330/PostId/222/creating-options-for-learning-meetings.aspx" target="_blank">here</a>). Additionally, <a href="http://www.meetingstoday.com/ArticleDetails/tabid/136/RegionID/0/ArticleID/30688/Default.aspx" target="_blank">in the sidebar</a> of <a href="http://www.meetingstoday.com/newsletters/friday_with_joan/2017_06_02.html" target="_blank">the June 2017 Friday With Joan newsletter</a> (which also includes this blog post), I interviewed the Blums&rsquo; daughter, Sarah Routman, about her work. Clearly she too was influenced by her dad&rsquo;s examples of good education and learning.</p>
<p>Jeff Hurt, a colleague and friend since his long-ago days working at MPI, and now Executive Vice President, Education &amp; Engagement at&nbsp;<a href="http://velvetchainsaw.com/" target="_blank">Velvet Chainsaw Consulting</a>&mdash;who describes himself as &ldquo;a lifelong learner trying to embrace learning, unlearning and relearning&rdquo;&mdash;reads and writes extensively about learning and the brain.</p>
<p>Janet Sperstad, Ph.D., Program Director of the meeting and event management degree at Madison College in Wisconsin, wrote her dissertation, &ldquo;Purposeful Meetings: Driving deeper meaning, insights and innovation,&quot; on the topic of better meeting design.</p>
<p>Janet was also recently&nbsp;<a href="http://www.pcmaconvene.org/plenary/human-centered-meeting-design-sperstad-research/" target="_blank">interviewed in this great article&nbsp;from PCMA</a>&nbsp;about the paper she and&nbsp;<a href="https://petm.iupui.edu/about/directory/cecil-amanda.html" target="_blank">Amanda Cecil, Ph.D, CMP</a>, associate professor and chair of Indiana University&rsquo;s School of Physical Education and Tourism Management, are writing entitled &ldquo;Purposeful Meetings: How to Plan with Deeper Meaning, Innovation and Insight in Mind.&rdquo;</p>
<p>(You can&nbsp;<a href="http://www.imex-frankfurt.com/events/purposeful-meetings/#Keynote" target="_blank">learn more here</a>&nbsp;about Janet and Amanda&rsquo;s work).</p>
<p>For years, in teaching &ldquo;meeting planning 101&rdquo; classes for MPI, PCMA, ASAE and others, I&rsquo;ve conducted an exercise by first saying &ldquo;Adults learn and participate best in pleasant surroundings&rdquo; followed by the question &ldquo;What makes it pleasant&nbsp;<em>for you</em>&nbsp;to learn?&quot;</p>
<p>This is often paired with an exercise of drawing a three-panel cartoon of one&rsquo;s best learning experience. (Thank you David Johnson from whom I learned, at an&nbsp;<a href="http://www.iaf-world.org/site/" target="_blank">International Association of Facilitators&nbsp;(IAF)</a> meeting, this activity that can be adapted to many situations and makes me think of the exercises in the aforementioned Dan Pink book).</p>
<p><strong>&gt;&gt; ACTION: Try this. Identify what makes it pleasant for you to learn, and if you&rsquo;re willing,&nbsp;<em>add what that is</em>, in the comments section below. &lt;&lt;</strong></p>
<p>Were you able to quickly identify the elements of &quot;pleasant&quot;? Or were you, like most, in need of parameters to identify where the &quot;pleasant experience&quot; and the &quot;best learning experience&quot; occurred (at a conference? in a school setting? in the office? at home?)? Or was it difficult to remember your best learning experiences?</p>
<p>It may be like the (in)famous&nbsp;<a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/porn/etc/definition.html" target="_blank">quote from the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice, Potter Stewart, about pornography</a>: &ldquo;you know it when you see it&quot;. We know a good meeting or learning experience&nbsp;when we we see it or don&#39;t.</p>
<p>Mine? I&rsquo;ve cited some from high school. I know I don&rsquo;t like straight rows of chairs or tables&mdash;even crescent rounds in straight rows. The sight lines are always awful and the rigidity of the settings sets a &ldquo;bad school&rdquo; atmosphere for me. I love natural light from windows, food and drink available at all times, interaction&mdash;natural not forced&mdash;with others with whom I&#39;m learning [one day, on a plane or train, I know, after reading a great article, I&#39;ll engage those around me in discussion!], and the ability to do what I need&mdash;sit, stand, put my feet up, or leave if it&#39;s not working for me.</p>
<p>If you read the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.meetingstoday.com/newsletters/friday_with_joan/2017_05_05.html" target="_blank">May 2017 Friday With Joan newsletter</a>&nbsp;you learned I was in college full time for only a year where most classes were in auditoriums with seats with tablets. Even without the formal education of the colleagues cited and interviewed I am an avid reader and observer of people interacting and learning in different settings.</p>
<p>I am curious about those, who like I, abhor straight rows and lectures, find&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ted.com/talks" target="_blank">TED</a>&nbsp;and all the spin-offs effective since they are, in essence, well-rehearsed lectures. I watch many &ldquo;TED talks&rdquo; and especially like this one of<a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/sunni_brown" target="_blank">&nbsp;Sunni Brown on doodling</a>. She&rsquo;s engaging as are many TED-talkers and programs. They are really lectures but they are lectures with personality, right? And they are lectures with opportunities to engage with others.</p>
<p>When I think about what makes it pleasant for me to learn and the experiences I&rsquo;ve had that were conducive to learning&nbsp;<em>in meetings</em>, I think of these:</p>
<p><strong>1.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.odnetwork.org/" target="_blank">ODNetwork</a>:</strong> in working as the planning consultant with them, they set a standard meeting room as theatre-in-the-round which created a different mindset just by walking into the room. And it was low key and worked&mdash;just a short stage in the center of the room and chairs set around the stage, circled, with multiple aisles.</p>
<p><strong>2. ODN and IAF</strong> both had areas for creativity where, at any time, one could color, build and use different materials to relax and use one&rsquo;s right brain. Disney created similar experiences for PCMA and ASAE in rooms that I remember going to often because the spaces themselves were differently set with lots of creative materials. In one, at an ASAE meeting years ago, in a session held in the room, the first instructions were to take our shoes off and put our heads down on our arms on the table and to listen to a (children&rsquo;s) story. (Yes, this can be adapted for those who are differently abled).</p>
<p><strong>3. ASAE</strong>, at a meeting in Boston years ago, set all general sessions in the round. The stage was round with a rotating center on which a lectern stood and behind which a few people delivered their messages. Screens were flown from above and all around the stage, easily visible for each section of seats. More speakers&mdash;(it must have been the early &lsquo;90s because James Carville and Mary Matalin were among them)&mdash;walked around the stage. Because, if I remember correctly, no one was more than 10 rows back from the stage, seated with lots of aisles down which there was entertainment each morning before the general session started, I looked forward to going to each general session which is not my norm! More it meant that those who like to sit on the aisle could more easily do so and not disrupt those who wanted to leave since the rows were short.</p>
<p><strong>4. ASAE</strong> again created a novel setting also in Boston (hmm&hellip;was it Boston?) years later where there were different seating configurations in the ballroom&nbsp;<em>foyer</em>&nbsp;and lots of screens on which you could watch the general sessions&nbsp;<em>without being in the large dark room set in rows.&nbsp;</em>I&rsquo;d started in the ballroom and was driven out by the size, dark, and &quot;usual&quot; set to the foyer.</p>
<p>What didn&rsquo;t work: the foyer set was conducive to, and I believe intended for, conversation, perfect for&nbsp;<a href="http://vark-learn.com/" target="_blank">Aural learners</a>. (One could even get a shoeshine and still watch the programming in the general session in another area of the convention center).</p>
<p>A colleague and I sat in the foyer and talked about what we were hearing and seeing, and were &ldquo;shushed&rdquo; by others.&nbsp;<em>When doing something different, explain the how and why and how to use it to the best advantage. Different for the sake of different doesn&rsquo;t work unless we educate those in attendance.</em></p>
<p><strong>5. PCMA</strong>, at one meeting, set general sessions and breakouts in theatre-in-the-round. A lawyer colleague and I presented our session in one of those breakout rooms. Outcomes?</p>
<ol>
<li>People entered without having been told why the rooms were set differently.</li>
<li>Most everyone stayed in what would usually be the &ldquo;back&rdquo;&mdash;that is by the doors&mdash;rather than going to the sides or other side of the center of the room&rsquo;s slightly raised platform.</li>
<li>PCMA, I was told, didn&rsquo;t use that set again because a) speakers didn&rsquo;t know how to use it [<a href="http://www.meetingstoday.com/ArticleDetails/tabid/136/RegionID/0/ArticleID/30688/Default.aspx" target="_blank">see the sidebar interview</a> and in particular what Paul Radde has to say] and b) it wasn&rsquo;t explained to the meeting participants. They expected a lecture at which they could stare. (Yes, there were screens around the room so any visuals could be seen easily no matter where one sat).</li>
</ol>
<p><strong>6. When PCMA</strong>&nbsp;first experimented with &ldquo;Learning Lounges&rdquo;, and other interactive areas for those of us who prefer learning with each other (like the hallway conversations many love and the &quot;peer learning&quot; that MPI&rsquo;s Foundation discovered years ago was really what most of us call &ldquo;networking&rdquo;), it was far more intimate than it has become.</p>
<p>Remembering the first year, a colleague and I sat in the area behind the stage where we could watch and still talk with each other. I tweeted with someone who was in front of the stage wishing she weren&rsquo;t &quot;stuck&quot; and not permitted to talk during the session and for whom leaving felt awkward and rude to the speaker.</p>
<p>Maybe what we need are more <a href="https://learningforward.org/docs/tools-for-learning-schools/tools8-99.pdf?sfvrsn=2" target="_blank">&quot;norms&quot; or ground rules</a>&nbsp;that allow people to move as needed without feeling they can&rsquo;t leave like what, in Open Space Technology used to be called &ldquo;The Rule of Two Feet&rdquo; (&ldquo;If it&rsquo;s not working for you, you may leave&rdquo;) and which has been renamed &ldquo;The Law of Motion and Responsibility&rdquo; to be more inclusive of those who may not have or use two feet.</p>
<p><strong>7. MPI</strong> has experimented with different designs including using&nbsp;<a href="http://openspaceworld.org/wp2/" target="_blank">Open Space Technology</a>&nbsp;where the audience, with some subject matter parameters, sets the agenda. Having used Open Space (for which I am eternally grateful to Harrison Owen, initially, and later to Lisa Heft) for a variety of clients, it&rsquo;s one way to accommodate different types of learners and peer learning. It&rsquo;s not for every person or meeting. With&nbsp;<a href="http://www.theworldcafe.com/key-concepts-resources/world-cafe-method/" target="_blank">World Café</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;it&rsquo;s one more option in one&rsquo;s toolbox of design.</p>
<p><strong>8. Loretta LaRoche</strong>, the capnote (closing) speaker at an IACC meeting years ago, did just what Sarah Routman suggests in the sidebar: her very being and work created laughter, great big tear-rolling, doubled-over laughter. She allowed us to leave feeling good about our work, ourselves, and the conference with her style and words. I can&rsquo;t remember leaving a conference ever feeling so good. (This, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0m69UHkvqs" target="_blank">a Loretta LaRoche&nbsp;YouTube clip</a> about &ldquo;wearing your party pants,&rdquo; should make you feel the same now).</p>
<p><strong>9. Recently at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.exhibitoronline.com/live/2017/index.asp" target="_blank">ExhibitorLive</a></strong>, I presented back to back sessions about creating different meeting settings and delivery methods. I asked for and through the understanding of Dee Silfies, responsible for education, and of CORT Furniture for the different furniture&mdash;not all of which was too low for those who may not be able to get down to or up easily&mdash;we created an example of what can be done. At the break (30 minutes versus 15 or even the back-to-back-to-back with no time between sessions at too many meetings), some participants who&rsquo;s not signed up for the second session, did so.</p>
<p>They liked my style of teaching, the creative tools used, the &quot;norms&quot; and permissions given, and the set that was more relaxed and comfortable and included some crescent rounds for those who wanted more traditional seating. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p>Here&rsquo;s the thing: it is messy and more difficult to design conferences and meetings to accommodate different learning preferences and comfort levels, and adding genuine laughter, for and from those who are participating and delivering.</p>
<p>As we continue to learn more about learning and interactive&mdash;&quot;audience-centric,&quot; experiential, community-focused&mdash;gatherings, we will need to change what we do. And to do so means involving our partners (aka &ldquo;suppliers&rdquo;) and those responsible for the fire laws and other safety and security issues, and policies governing spaces. Having suggested that many years ago after being told &ldquo;no rounds&rdquo; in a convention center unless we were serving food, I&rsquo;ve not yet seen that the industry is meeting with all the right participants to make massive changes.</p>
<p>There are enough researching and talking about changing learning models at meetings that the revolution to create better conventions and conferences is upon us. ASAE just completed XPD about which the reviews are still coming in. I&rsquo;m hopeful you&rsquo;ll join in and tell others the creative ways you&rsquo;ve designed and delivered events and meetings and more, suggest ways we can better truly&nbsp;<em>partner</em>&nbsp;with venues and vendors rather than just looking to them for underwriting. I&rsquo;m convinced they are the key to making it work by understanding education and how their spaces and work can contribute.&nbsp;<strong>Share this with each other and your partners. Let&rsquo;s move meetings forward. Really!</strong></p>
<p>This blog post and the <a href="http://www.meetingstoday.com/newsletters/friday_with_joan/2017_06_02.html" target="_blank">June 2017 Friday With Joan newsletter</a>&nbsp;are dedicated to the people and organizations noted below because&nbsp;<em>they</em>&nbsp;want people in sales to learn more about how to help market, sell and service more creative, comfortable, conducive-to-outcomes, experiences. It seems our industry has relegated &ldquo;suppliers&rdquo; to a category of &ldquo;sponsors&rdquo; and &ldquo;underwriters&rdquo; versus full partners in learning and creating (or co-creating if we&rsquo;re still using that buzzphrase) and suggesting different uses of their spaces.</p>
<p><em>Thus, this blog post is dedicated to&nbsp;</em><a href="http://www.wscc.com/contact-us" target="_blank"><em>Michael McQuade, Director of Sales, Washington State Convention Center</em></a><em>,&nbsp;and founder of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/EmergingSalesProfessionals/" target="_blank">Emerging Sales Professionals</a>, an organization committed to helping those in hospitality sales learn more to aid them in making meetings and events</em>&mdash;<em>and those who sell space and services</em>&mdash;<em>more rounded in their knowledge beyond &ldquo;rates, dates and space&rdquo;, and to&nbsp;</em><a href="https://www.facebook.com/CSPInternational/" target="_blank"><em>Convention Sales Professionals International</em></a><em>.&nbsp;</em><em>I had the privilege this Spring of presenting sessions to both organizations on how to be consultative sales professionals by understanding the elements of good education at meetings.</em></p>
<p><em>Additional thanks goes out to Brent Grant, CMP, for patience to create the right audience-centric room set. Also to Jane Kantor of Visit Bellevue and the Meydenbauer Center and Julie Deweese of the Oregon Convention Center, for their creativity in programming.</em></p>
<p><a href="http://www.meetingstoday.com/newsletters/friday_with_joan/2017_06_02.html" target="_blank">Click here to view additional content in the 06.02.17 Friday With Joan newsletter.</a></p>
<p>Editors&#39; Note: The views expressed by contributing bloggers are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Meetings Today or its parent company.</p>
<div>
<p><strong>Posted by Joan L. Eisenstodt</strong></p>
<p><img alt="" src="/Portals/0/Blog/JoanEisenstodt_headshot_ver2.jpg" /></p>
<p><strong>Follow Joan on Twitter:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://twitter.com/joaneisenstodt" target="_blank">@joaneisenstodt</a></p>
</div>
3049 Universal Truths About Our Industryhttps://www.meetingstoday.com/blog/postid/303/9-universal-truths-about-our-industryCareer Advice,Education,Future Forecasting,Hospitality,Industry Advocacy,Life-long learningThu, 04 May 2017 21:39:47 GMT<p><strong>Universal Truth 1</strong>: &ldquo;<em>Der mentsh trakht un got lakht.&rdquo;</em></p>
<p>This Yiddish saying is widely translated as &ldquo;Man plans and God laughs,&rdquo; or further considered to mean, &ldquo;Humans plan and the universe laughs.&rdquo; Sounds like a universal truth about what we do for a living as meeting and event planners, doesn&rsquo;t it?!</p>
<p>Most of us in the meetings industry consider ourselves to be so detail-oriented and precise. How could anything ever go wrong after countless hours of preparation, right?</p>
<p>I&rsquo;ve always wondered about the influence of the universe on meetings and events. I mean, really&mdash;what about the storms that pop up when you&rsquo;ve planned the perfect outdoor event? Or the client who, after you&rsquo;ve done so much work on selecting a site for their meeting, changes the whole program? And I wonder if there are &ldquo;universal truths&rdquo; for what we do in an industry* we all refer to differently. &nbsp;</p>
<p>First, I had to gain a better understanding of what a &ldquo;universal truth&rdquo; is.</p>
<p><strong><em>&ldquo;Truth</em></strong><em>&nbsp;is considered to be&nbsp;<strong>universal</strong>&nbsp;if it is valid in all times and places. In this case, it is seen as eternal or as absolute. The relativist conception denies the existence of some or all&nbsp;<strong>universal truths</strong>, particularly ethical ones (through moral relativism).&rdquo;</em></p>
<p>--&nbsp;Quoted from the&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universality_(philosophy)" target="_blank">&ldquo;Universality (philosophy)&rdquo;</a> Wikipedia&nbsp;entry.</p>
<p>My reading about &ldquo;universal truths&rdquo; was extensive and you, I hope, will search more and consider what the term means for and to you and in your life. Through this blog, I&rsquo;ll share my personal and professional universal truths; <a href="http://www.meetingstoday.com/ArticleDetails/tabid/136/RegionID/0/ArticleID/30509/Default.aspx" target="_blank">in this month&rsquo;s Friday With Joan sidebar</a>, you&rsquo;ll read how many more &ldquo;universal truths&rdquo;&mdash;from here, often abbreviated &ldquo;UT&rdquo;&mdash;there may be for our industry,&nbsp;<em>including</em>&nbsp;what our industry is called*!</p>
<p>For most Friday With Joan newsletters, interviewing others is pure delight. Especially <a href="http://www.meetingstoday.com/newsletters/friday_with_joan/2017_05_05.html" target="_blank">for this one</a>, interviewing many of whom I&rsquo;ve known and learned from and with for many years, gaining their perspectives of our UTs from a broad industry* was even more eye-opening, and allows us all to see possibilities that might not have occurred to us before.</p>
<p>This interview provides background and thoughts that you might not have known about me and may be of interest whether you&rsquo;ve been in the industry for years, are new to the industry or are just starting to consider it.</p>
<p><strong>Q1</strong>:&nbsp;<strong>Why write this now?</strong></p>
<p><strong>Joan&rsquo;s (JE&rsquo;s) response:&nbsp;</strong>If you&rsquo;re reading this on May 5, 2017, publication day, I&rsquo;m just days away from a &ldquo;major&rdquo; (to me) birthday ... which means either a &ldquo;0&rdquo;, a &ldquo;5&rdquo; or a &ldquo;9&rdquo;. With this blog post and <a href="http://www.meetingstoday.com/newsletters/friday_with_joan/2017_05_05.html" target="_blank">a Friday With Joan newsletter</a> coinciding with the occasion, and knowing I&rsquo;ve lived certainly more than half my life and that of that life, more than 45 years have been spent in the meetings industry*, the editors and I thought a bit of Q&amp;A, with sources unidentified, <a href="http://www.meetingstoday.com/ArticleDetails/tabid/136/RegionID/0/ArticleID/30509/Default.aspx" target="_blank">would make for a fun sidebar</a>&mdash;if you can put names to each of the categories and send to me, I&rsquo;ll award a prize for whomever gets them all right or at least the highest percentage overall!&mdash;and here with me might show the diversity of paths as a guideline to others.</p>
<p>More, I see our broad industry changing in many ways, such as with the growing belief that technology will solve all of our problems. Tech advancements impact everything from how we communicate and meet to the ways we deliver information, allowing connections we never imagined, except for in our &ldquo;Buck Rogers-admiration days.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Instead of paying travel costs for our speakers or to better accommodate conflicts in schedule, we might choose to bring them in via hologram. And it doesn&rsquo;t seem too far-fetched to think that robots might one day staff the front desks at most, if not all, major hotels, resulting in the loss of an important entry-level role in hospitality. <a href="http://www.meetingstoday.com/ArticleDetails/tabid/136/RegionID/0/ArticleID/30509/Default.aspx" target="_blank">See the sidebar</a> for more on the importance of the front desk to many careers.</p>
<p>Despite all of these &ldquo;advancements&rdquo; in hospitality and meetings, there are still a number of UTs that I believe will continue to hold true in our industry, regardless of technology.</p>
<p><strong>Q2:</strong>&nbsp;<strong>In considering what a UT might be, it occurred the reasons given to the question &ldquo;Why do you want to be a meeting planner?&rdquo; might contain an answer. What is said and has been for years among those asked: &ldquo;I love people. I&rsquo;m great at details. I love to travel.&rdquo; Are those then the universal truths of our industry?</strong></p>
<p><strong>JE2:</strong> I didn&rsquo;t want to be a meeting planner and I tend to be uncomfortable in large groups of people. I&rsquo;m good at word details but not all meeting details (I can do it but don&rsquo;t love it), and travel? Feh! Born in Dayton, Ohio, to working-class and working outside-the-home-parents (now both of blessed memory) and into a neighborhood first economically and religiously diverse, and later, partly through my parents&rsquo; efforts, racially diverse, I am the proud product of public schools. A curious child who loved to read, an empathetic child and teen who wanted to fix the world, the options that I thought were open to me professionally were teacher, nurse, secretary, wife and mom.</p>
<p><em>Pictured below: One of my favorite pictures of myself back in the early days.</em></p>
<p><img alt="" src="/Portals/0/Blog/2017/YoungJoanEisenstodt_v2.jpg" style="width: 300px; height: 455px;" /></p>
<p><strong>Q3:</strong>&nbsp;<strong>What do you think set you on the path&mdash;or destiny&mdash;to meetings and events?</strong></p>
<p><strong>JE3:</strong> I first organized events in the &rsquo;50s, creating street fairs to raise money for polio research when a neighbor, one of us who were in the test group for polio vaccines, contracted the disease. In high school, my activities included YWCA Y-Teens and statewide conferences of other young women, and the Dayton Junior Human Resource Council.</p>
<p>Later, stints as a volunteer for public television, where I was responsible for coordinating solicitation of items for on-air auctions, and at an art museum where we held museum-wide visual and performance art events, clearly put me on this still-unknown-to-me path. &nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Q4: What about formal education after high school?</strong></p>
<p><strong>JE4:</strong> It was expected I would go to college. I applied to only two schools. Accepted at both, I chose Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, because (beloved to this day!) James Payne, my high school speech teacher recommended it. He wanted me to go into theatre and Drake had a great drama department. Financially it was impossible: I typed papers and did others&rsquo; laundry to earn money to pay tuition. More, educationally, at Colonel White High School in Dayton, I&rsquo;d been spoiled by Mr. Payne in speech who pushed me to be a better teacher and trainer; by Lenore Clippinger (now of blessed memory) who allowed me and others to sit on the floor of her English Literature class&mdash;my first exposure to learning in a different setting; to the still amazing and beloved Civics teacher, Stanley Blum, who put our chairs in a circle in class and invited us to his home to talk about current events; and to the artist,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.daytoncvb.com/listings/willis-bing-davis-studio-and-ebonnia-gallery/436/" target="_blank">Bing Davis</a>&nbsp;who allowed me to sit in his art room instead of the boring-row-on-row study halls. I thought college learning would be interactive and involving, experiential &hellip; not memorizing facts to spit back for tests.</p>
<p>It was not a good fit. I quickly learned that I was a life-long learner&mdash;that my curiosity and love of reading would ensure I was educated more if it were not in a school setting.</p>
<p>I learned later, of course, that meetings were one more form of &ldquo;classroom&rdquo; setting and decided I&rsquo;d work to change those settings. For his work in this area, I&rsquo;m grateful forever to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.thrival.com/" target="_blank">Paul Radde, PhD, for his research and the book &ldquo;Seating Matters&rdquo;</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Universal Truth 2</strong>:<em> The influences of your day-to-day life will give you clues about your passions and how you can use them.</em></p>
<p><strong>Q5: Then what?</strong></p>
<p><strong>JE5</strong>: I moved back to Dayton to work at the local newspaper in advertising, at my old elementary school as a teacher&rsquo;s aide, and volunteering for a nationwide organization as a spokesperson for optional parenthood on radio and TV and in organizing conferences with the likes of Hugh Downs, Isaac Asimov, Stewart Mott, Ellen Peck and others as guests. Exposed to a bigger world, I decided to leave Dayton and move to D.C. after just one visit to our nation&rsquo;s capital. I&rsquo;d interviewed for and didn&rsquo;t get a job as a volunteer coordinator prior to moving. I moved to D.C. July 1, 1978, with no job and no apartment but a place to stay for a short period of time.</p>
<p>While interviewing for jobs (hearing &ldquo;you have too much experience&rdquo; for this entry level position; &ldquo;you have too little experience&rdquo; for this senior level position) I volunteered at the association at which I wasn&rsquo;t hired. I spent time in the newly designed by&nbsp;<a href="http://www.vogue.com/article/i-m-pei-100-birthday-best-works" target="_blank">I.M. Pei [who just celebrated his 100th birthday]</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/about/welcome-to-the-east-building.html" target="_blank">East Wing of the National Gallery</a>&nbsp;to cool off and to, just as I did in Bing Davis&rsquo; class, gain inspiration from art.</p>
<p>One day, the executive director at the association where I&rsquo;d not been hired as a volunteer coordinator, called me in and suggested I was a &ldquo;meeting planner,&rdquo; a term I&rsquo;d never heard, and offered me an opportunity to help them design and execute their 10th anniversary with an expanded annual meeting. I said yes.</p>
<p><strong>Universal Truth 3</strong>: <em>Read and learn. Resting on one&rsquo;s educational laurels is not enough especially in a world and an industry* that changes and is changed minute by minute by internal and external factors.</em></p>
<p><strong>Universal Truth 4</strong>: <em>Listen to what others see in you. They are often right and will provide opportunities.</em></p>
<p>I eagerly embraced this opportunity and discovered, through a colleague from earlier volunteer experiences, the existence of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.mpiweb.org/" target="_blank">MPI&mdash;then &ldquo;Meeting Planners International,&rdquo;</a>&nbsp;oddly headquartered in Ohio just miles from where I&rsquo;d left for D.C.</p>
<p>At my second Chapter&nbsp;<a href="http://www.mpipotomac.org/" target="_blank">[PMPI</a>] meeting, me, a strong&nbsp;<a href="http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/">MBTI&nbsp;</a><a href="http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/extraversion-or-introversion.htm" target="_blank">Introvert</a>&nbsp;(an INFP), hugged the walls until the late and dear, Bill Myles, chair of the membership committee greeted me with &ldquo;Hi! You&rsquo;re new here. Want to join my committee?&rdquo;</p>
<p><strong>Universal Truth 5</strong>: <em>Say yes to opportunities to volunteer to expand your network of people, ideas and learning. Take advantage of all that there is in the industry and your community to do to meet and expand skills in a safe environment.</em></p>
<p>During the next years, I joined other committees, was elected to the Chapter Board, to the Chapter Presidency, to the International Board and became involved in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pcma.org/" target="_blank">PCMA</a>&nbsp;and GWSAE (once our local affiliate of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.asaecenter.org/" target="_blank">ASAE</a>).</p>
<p>Yes, it was hard work. Remember: this was still when we used typewriters, telephones and answering machines! (Isn&rsquo;t it fun to make oneself sound ancient?!).</p>
<p>Oh, and I started my own consulting company in 1981, in the corner of my studio apartment, with an&nbsp;<a href="http://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/ibm100/us/en/icons/selectric/" target="_blank">IBM Self-Correcting Selectric Typewriter</a>, a filing cabinet, desk, phone and answering machine.</p>
<p><strong>Universal Truth 6</strong>: <em>If you come from an entrepreneurial family, which I did, or seek out entrepreneurs, learn from them and their experiences.</em></p>
<p>Understand how you work best&mdash;with others or alone? Collaboratively sometimes and at other times, quietly alone? Being a consultant&mdash;the term &ldquo;independent planner&rdquo; is still used by some; &ldquo;third party planner&rdquo; by others but not a term I favor&mdash;and working on one&rsquo;s own is not for everyone. And it&rsquo;s not necessarily the answer to what to do between jobs.</p>
<p>It should be a commitment to you and your clients.</p>
<p>I have always worked hard at learning more and becoming stronger in specific areas. As an example&mdash;in 1984, a client, my company, and I, individually, were sued because the client canceled a meeting. During this experience, I learned more (thank you, Jeff King, Esq., at the time the attorney for the CLC now&nbsp;<a href="http://www.eventscouncil.org/" target="_blank">EIC</a>) about legal issues. That led to opportunities to testify in the industry as an expert witness which I continue to do.&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Universal Truth 7</strong>: <em>Our industry and the contractual issues with which we deal are complex. It is best to learn more and have an attorney on call to assist. This truth is not going away.</em></p>
<p><strong>Q6: We know you as a trainer/teacher/writer/mentor as well as consultant. How did that happen?</strong></p>
<p><strong>JE6</strong>: Opportunities presented themselves to write, teach, facilitate process, and work in ways that I never considered when I first fell into&mdash;or was predestined to be in&mdash;this industry*. With each opportunity came a fast-beating heart and uncertainty that I could really do what was asked. I&rsquo;m not sure what drove me though as I look at my&nbsp;<a href="http://www.meetingstoday.com/Blog/TabId/330/PostId/277/meetings-industry-strengths-and-talents-stats.aspx" target="_blank">Strengths</a>, I think they show clearly who I am and why I do what I do. Were it not for Bob Dolibois, Tony Rutiggliano, and Dave McCann, Tyler Davidson, Mary Parish, and Eric Andersen, I&rsquo;m not sure I&rsquo;d have moved so deeply into the areas that clearly fit me. Thank you all.</p>
<p><strong>Q7: You&rsquo;ve been recognized by many with awards and other honors. Did that propel you to keep doing more?</strong></p>
<p><strong>JE7:</strong> I&rsquo;m smiling&mdash;one of my first national honors was from MPI as &ldquo;Planner of the Year.&rdquo; On the night I received that, an industry veteran came over to me and said &ldquo;Well, I guess you won&rsquo;t volunteer more now that you&rsquo;ve gotten the honor&rdquo; implying I did what I did for recognition. Nope, that was in 1990 and 27 years later, I&rsquo;ve not stopped!</p>
<p>The honors have been appreciated&mdash;CIC (now EIC) inducted me into the Hall of Leaders; PCMA as Teacher of the Year and, much later, PCMA&rsquo;s Foundation recognized me for lifetime achievement recognition as an educator, to date the only non- full-time academic to be so honored.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.iacconline.org/" target="_blank">The International Association of Conference Centers (IACC)</a>&nbsp;honored me twice&mdash;first with the Pyramid Award for contributions to education and then with the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/1990/03/02/obituaries/mel-hosansky-editor-64.html" target="_blank">Mel Hosansky</a>&nbsp;Award, an honor I treasure because Mel was such a mensch and great industry writer and publisher. And&nbsp;<a href="http://www.hsmai.org/" target="_blank">HSMAI&nbsp;</a>included me in the first class&mdash;with Jim Daggett, Keith Sexton-Patrick, and the late and wonderful, Doris Sklar of Pacesetters. There have been others and yet, I don&rsquo;t work for honors. I work because I believe in ability to bring people together to solve problems, learn and enhance their lives.</p>
<p><strong>Universal Truth 8</strong>: <em>If you volunteer only for resume credit or a potential honor, think again. Consider what you can contribute back to strengthen our industry and how we are seen and what meetings do to strengthen the world.</em></p>
<p><strong>Q8: So now what? You&rsquo;re at an age when many&mdash;in other fields&mdash;retire. In fact, a friend of yours, a CPA, was required by what was once one of the &ldquo;Big 8&rdquo; accounting firms to retire at 62. Why haven&rsquo;t you and will you soon?</strong></p>
<p><strong>JE8</strong>: Oh there are days on which I&rsquo;d like to &ldquo;retire&rdquo;&mdash;to read and discuss what others are reading; to stay in bed a bit later and not have deadlines for contracts and presentations; to not travel with all the ensuing hassles now that I have some health issues that make it all a bit harder. But why retire when there is still so much to do in this industry and the world? Why retire until we stop setting chairs in straight rows and while there are still all male panels at industry events? Why retire when there are laws (like in North Carolina,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.equalitytexas.org/" target="_blank">Texas</a>,&nbsp;and elsewhere) that impact the rights of those who come to meetings and work in our industry and communities? When climate change must be fought because some of our favorite cities for meetings are sinking?</p>
<p>As I looked at those who I randomly chose <a href="http://www.meetingstoday.com/ArticleDetails/tabid/136/RegionID/0/ArticleID/30509/Default.aspx" target="_blank">to interview for the sidebar</a>, I was surprised at the ages and the lack of&nbsp;<em>full</em>&nbsp;retirement of only a few, even the oldest who is nearly 90! We need history to not repeat and we need future thinking to move us ahead. Perhaps, then...</p>
<p><strong>Universal Truth 9</strong>: <em>Together we can change the world through gatherings of people and to do so we must have those who are committed to coordinating the content, technology, venues, and all aspects of those gatherings be they meetings, marches, rallies, special events, tradeshows, or just a meeting of two over coffee.</em></p>
<p>*You&rsquo;ll see that some call this the &ldquo;hospitality industry,&rdquo; others &ldquo;the meetings industry,&rdquo; and depending on the segment in which they work, tradeshows or exhibitions.&nbsp; My preference is &ldquo;meetings and hospitality&rdquo; because that&rsquo;s where I am and what&rsquo;s understood. I wonder if we need a new term that encompasses some universal truths!</p>
<p><strong>What&rsquo;s your Universal Truth about your work and our industry?</strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.meetingstoday.com/newsletters/friday_with_joan/2017_05_05.html" target="_blank">Click here to view additional content in the 05.05.17 Friday With Joan newsletter.</a></p>
<p><em>Editors&#39; Note: The views expressed by contributing bloggers are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Meetings Today or its parent company.</em></p>
<div>
<p><strong>Posted by Joan L. Eisenstodt</strong></p>
<p><img alt="" src="/Portals/0/Blog/JoanEisenstodt_headshot_ver2.jpg" /></p>
<p><strong>Follow Joan on Twitter:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://twitter.com/joaneisenstodt" target="_blank">@joaneisenstodt</a></p>
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303Accessibility, the ADA and Inclusion – It's Our Job!https://www.meetingstoday.com/blog/postid/302/accessibility-the-ada-and-inclusion-its-our-jobConvention Centers,CSR,Diversity & Inclusion,Education,Ethics,Food and Beverage,Hospitality,Industry Advocacy,Meetings Mean BusinessWed, 05 Apr 2017 20:30:09 GMT<p>Shortly after the passage of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ada.gov/" target="_blank">Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)</a>, I was an MPI delegate to the board of the Convention Liaison Council&mdash;the previous name of what is now the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.conventionindustry.org/" target="_blank">Convention Industry Council (CIC)</a>. Speakers were invited to address and inform the board about topical issues, such as music licensing and the ADA, that impacted our industry and each organization. Cricket Park, then deputy executive director of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ahead.org/" target="_blank">Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD)</a>, and now, the Rev&rsquo;d C.B. &ldquo;Cricket&rdquo; Park, rector,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.redeemerbethesda.org/about-us/clergy-staff/" target="_blank">The Episcopal Church of the Redeemer</a>, Bethesda, Md., addressed us about the ADA and its impact on the meetings and hospitality industry.</p>
<p>Cricket was the only person to ever write a book and, for PCMA, a white paper, on the ADA and meetings. Alas, both are out of print.</p>
<p>Like many of you, I was blown away by what we hadn&rsquo;t paid enough attention to and what we needed to learn and to implement in regard to the ADA. Not many years later, my company was responsible to help plan and execute a meeting conducted in the U.S. by the U.S. and Canadian governments on issues of accessibility around the world.</p>
<p>On a site visit with representatives of both governments, I observed how clueless the hotel salespersons were about the ADA and compliance and general accessibility issues. Illustrative of that: the clients were in the guest room bathrooms taking measurements and there the sales people were telling us about their turndown service and wonderful spa and pool, the latter two which were totally inaccessible for someone with a disability and had no materials or people to help those with hearing or sight needs.</p>
<p>To date, not all countries have disabilities acts. This blog and the accompanying newsletter specifically address laws in the United States. For those who are in or do meetings outside the U.S., these resources will help:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.state.gov/j/drl/sadr/" target="_blank">U.S. State Department &ldquo;International Disability Rights&rdquo;</a>;&nbsp;<a href="https://dredf.org/legal-advocacy/international-disability-rights/international-laws/" target="_blank">Disability Rights Education &amp; Defense Fund (DRED)</a>;&nbsp;<a href="http://www.driadvocacy.org/" target="_blank">Disability Rights International</a>; and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.asil.org/community/international-disability-rights" target="_blank">International Disability Rights</a>.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Alas, none of the above noted resources, unlike&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ada.gov/business/accessiblemtg.htm" target="_blank">this from the U.S. Department of Justice</a>, specifically address meetings. Reading further into this blog post and referencing the somewhat limited resources from our industry&mdash;thanks to&nbsp;<a href="http://espaonline.org/accessibility-toolkit.html" target="_blank">Event Service Professionals Association (ESPA)</a>, formerly ACOM, for their work creating an accessibility toolkit&mdash;will help make our industry more accessible, in addition to asking participants what they need to fully participate and experiencing some of the obstacles they face firsthand.</p>
<p>That and common sense on the part of meeting professionals&mdash;planners, professional development designers and suppliers to our industry&mdash;can help guide us to better inclusion practices and simple adjustments.</p>
<p>I am not an expert on the ADA and all the components of helping to make meetings and facilities inclusive.&nbsp;<a href="http://detailsinc.ca/company/who-we-are/" target="_blank">Niesa Silzer</a>&nbsp;and I, with assistance from Kristen McCosh (here&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.meetingstoday.com/ArticleDetails/tabid/136/RegionID/0/ArticleID/24494/Default.aspx" target="_blank">a profile</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="http://www.mass.gov/pca/about/kristen-mccosh.html" target="_blank">a short bio</a>) who is the Boston Mayor&rsquo;s Commission for People with Disabilities, at a PCMA&rsquo;s Convening Leaders in Boston in 2014, lead an experiential session in which attendees participated in several hands-on exercises. This will be somewhat replicated again, as they did a few years ago, at this year&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.sgmp.org/content.asp?contentid=129" target="_blank">SGMP NEC</a>&nbsp;on June 7, for more than discussion about disabilities and inclusive hospitality and meetings.</p>
<p>And why this is personal: I took my unassisted mobility for granted. Yes, I&rsquo;d broken bones necessitating crutches, but somehow I managed. Even after back surgery, I was immobile for a bit but eventually regained my ability to walk and move about well.</p>
<p>Until I couldn&rsquo;t.</p>
<p>The need for a mobility scooter came long after my knowledge of the ADA. By the time I needed assistance, I was already aware of and in tune with the extreme difficulty of being a person with a different ability or with a disability when traveling or even just getting around in my own city (Washington D.C.)! Others may not be.</p>
<p>These are ways to begin thinking and planning differently in order to have more inclusive meetings. They are by far not all you need to know or do and do not include sensory and other areas of disability. It&rsquo;s up to you to do more research by starting with a list of questions for your meeting participants and hotel guests.</p>
<p><strong>1. Conduct site inspections using a wheelchair or power chair or mobility scooter</strong>.</p>
<ul>
<li>Consider the timing for elevators and see what it takes alone and with others to get to the elevator once it arrives.</li>
<li>Once the elevator arrives&mdash;or will it? See&nbsp;<a href="http://mashable.com/2017/03/23/rainbow-bagel-quest-cerebral-palsy-zach-anner/#TR6BQI_umPqf" target="_blank">this video</a>, created by The Cerebral Palsy Foundation and Zach Anner, experienced with humor that I sometimes don&rsquo;t have&mdash;is there room and will you and your device fit?</li>
<li>Check on the restroom(s) that have this sign (or the more traditional version):<br />
<a href="http://accessibleicon.org/" target="_blank"><img alt="" src="/Portals/0/Blog/2017/ada_blueicon.jpg" style="width:125px;height:125px;" /></a><br />
&hellip;to see if they really are accessible&nbsp;<em>from the outside</em>&nbsp;as well as the inside. A wide stall is not all it takes to make a restroom accessible. If the door can&rsquo;t be easily opened from inside or out or the turning radius isn&rsquo;t great enough for a power chair or scooter, how is it then accessible?</li>
<li>For guest rooms, how does one traveling alone using a power chair or other device open the door and access the room? How easily is it to exit the room or get around? And where can you park and charge your mobility device in the room? Where are the controls for HVAC? Are the window blind pulls accessible?</li>
<li>While moving around the hotel (or other venue) did you find that all doors have push buttons to open them? Or do you, as I have done, just push through hoping not to break glass and wood and not to injure yourself?</li>
</ul>
<p>​2.&nbsp;<strong>Conduct a site inspection wearing an eye patch or with cotton or ear plugs in your ears</strong>.&nbsp;<strong><em>NOTE: for safety, just like in commercials for cars with a professional driver winding down a mountain road where it tells you not try this at home, it is advised you not do this on your own.</em></strong></p>
<ul>
<li>What&rsquo;s printed in Braille or where and how accessible are human beings to assist? If the hotel uses robots, how do they interact with people who are deaf, hard of hearing or blind or low vision? How much of the printed-for-sighted-people materials&mdash;in-room safety cards? Menus in guest rooms and restaurants? Menus and ingredient labels on food for your events?&mdash;are accessible for all?</li>
<li>As Shane Feldman&nbsp;notes <a href="http://www.meetingstoday.com/ArticleDetails/tabid/136/RegionID/0/ArticleID/30294/Default.aspx" target="_blank">in the accompanying Q&amp;A sidebar</a>, take note of how much information on the in-room television and elsewhere is close- or option-captioned.</li>
<li>Ask about all recreational facilities and those who work in them. What Stacy Patnode Bassett&nbsp;<a href="http://www.meetingstoday.com/ArticleDetails/tabid/136/RegionID/0/ArticleID/30294/Default.aspx" target="_blank">experienced on her honeymoon and at the movie theatre</a>&nbsp;(see Q1 in the related Q&amp;A sidebar) was so stunning to me because it&rsquo;s not 1950 or 1970 or even 1980 or 1990! Yet, I know that her experiences are not unusual.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>3. Check guest rooms for accommodations</strong>.</p>
<ul>
<li>Is there a bar in the closet that can be raised and lowered for clothing? Or is the only bar a low one that makes all clothing pick up lint from the floor? Just because we use mobility devices doesn&rsquo;t mean our clothes are short or that we aren&rsquo;t traveling with someone who needs their clothes to hang higher!</li>
<li>Is the extra roll of toilet paper, the hair dryer, the safe and everything else within easy reach regardless of one&rsquo;s height or ability?</li>
<li>How many cases do they have to make any room accessible for someone who is deaf, hard of hearing, has low vision or is blind?</li>
<li>What is the owner/developer/management company doing to create designs that are more inclusive? (See: &ldquo;<a href="https://www.architecture.com/RIBA/Contactus/NewsAndPress/Membernews/PracticeNews/2016/December2016/07December/MakingHotelRoomsFullyAccessibleDiscretely.aspx" target="_blank">Making Hotel Rooms Fully Accessible, Discreetly</a>&rdquo; and &ldquo;<a href="http://www.ju90.co.uk/hotels/" target="_blank">An Artist&rsquo;s Manifesto for Accessible Hotels</a>&rdquo;).</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>4. Check meeting and public space for more inclusive features</strong>.</p>
<ul>
<li>Measure the height of buffet tables and items on them (chafing dishes and other food or food displays) to see if everyone can access them. Discern the knowledge of the convention services and banquet staff about doing so. Determine how your group or the hotel will assist those who cannot carry a plate of food on their own.</li>
<li>Is the hotel designed for what it is assumed all millennials want and need&mdash;that is, with low seating and lighting and many other &quot;modern amenities&quot;&mdash;that for anyone, millennials and Gen Zers included, might not be accessible?</li>
<li>Is the knowledge of meeting room seating audience-centric for sight-lines? (One of my favorite books, &ldquo;<a href="http://www.thrival.com/store" target="_blank">Seating Matters</a>&rdquo; by Dr. Paul Radde*, shows how).</li>
</ul>
<p><em>*I learned long after I wrote the foreword for the book&mdash;I was and am not compensated for the foreword I wrote or for &ldquo;plugging&rdquo; the book except to hear great things from people like Gail Hernandez who used seating from Paul&rsquo;s book and how successful it was!&mdash;that Paul worked with Interpreters and the Deaf community on seating to ensure good sight lines.</em></p>
<p><strong>5. Know what <a href="https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/statutes/adaaa_info.cfm" target="_blank">the Amendment to the ADA</a> included</strong>.</p>
<ul>
<li>In addition to swimming pool lifts, which a segment of our industry fought, and are now mandated, food allergies and chemical sensitivities are also now included within the ADA. Determine if hotels have unscented guest rooms and unscented products for those who need them.</li>
<li>When in doubt, contact the U.S. Department of Justice/U.S. ADA Hotlines: 800.514.0301 (voice) 800.514.0383 (TTY).</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>6.&nbsp;</strong><strong>Make no assumptions!</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>On your registration,<a href="http://accessibleicon.org/" target="_blank">&nbsp;use the mobile wheelchair symbol</a>&nbsp;and the statement &ldquo;Tell us what you need to fully participate in the meeting, including mobility, sight, hearing, food and scent&rdquo; with multiple methods of contact.</li>
<li>Just because someone doesn&rsquo;t &ldquo;look&rdquo; like they have a disability, or because, when the registration form asked they didn&rsquo;t note it, plan for all possibilities. Someone could be injured just before or while traveling to your meeting. Many who have disabilities do not want to disclose that because it may harm their reputation &ldquo;if it gets out.&rdquo; Others have what are considered &ldquo;invisible disabilities&rdquo; and prefer to keep that quiet (I&rsquo;m forever indebted to the&nbsp;<a href="https://invisibledisabilities.org/" target="_blank">Invisible Disabilities Association</a>&nbsp;and their great booklet, &ldquo;<a href="https://invisibledisabilities.org/ida-books-pamphlets/butyoulookgood/" target="_blank">But you LOOK Good</a>&rdquo;). When you see a person who has a placard and parks in a &ldquo;handicapped&rdquo; space and &ldquo;looks fine,&rdquo; stop before you admonish them.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>7. Prepare for everyone</strong>.</p>
<ul>
<li>Our jobs are to be hospitable. To be hospitable is to be inclusive. To be inclusive is to consider all those who may attend your meetings and stay in your facilities.</li>
<li>Know the ADA&nbsp;<em>and</em>&nbsp;go beyond it where and when possible. If room service has a &ldquo;policy&rdquo; of not substituting meals for those with, say, low-salt diets which may be a result of serious health issues, work with the chef to come up with menus for different diets (See what Tracy Stuckrath has&nbsp;<a href="https://thrivemeetings.com/" target="_blank">written and said</a>&nbsp;about these issues).</li>
</ul>
<p>As you read the stories from D&rsquo;Arcee Charington Neal, Shane Feldman, and Stacy Patnode Bassett in&nbsp;<a href="http://www.meetingstoday.com/ArticleDetails/tabid/136/RegionID/0/ArticleID/30294/Default.aspx" target="_blank">the accompanying April 2017 Friday With Joan Q&amp;A sidebar</a>, think about what you would have done in their situations and more, what you will do now to ensure others at your facilities and your meetings do not endure these types of incidents.</p>
<p>When a venue says they are &ldquo;in compliance with the ADA&rdquo; ask them how they know. Then take it the next step to see if they go beyond compliance to real inclusion.</p>
<p><em>Editors&#39; Note: The views expressed by contributing bloggers are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Meetings Today or its parent company.</em></p>
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<p><strong>Posted by Joan L. Eisenstodt</strong></p>
<p><img alt="" src="/Portals/0/Blog/JoanEisenstodt_headshot_ver2.jpg" /></p>
<p><strong>Follow Joan on Twitter:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://twitter.com/joaneisenstodt" target="_blank">@joaneisenstodt</a></p>
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